


Self-Tober Prompts

by myownpersonaldemons



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horrortale (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Swapfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underfell (Undertale), Alternate Universe - Underswap (Undertale), Established Relationship, Female Reader, Fluff, Gender-Neutral Pronouns, Gender-neutral Reader, One Shot Collection, Other, POV Second Person, Reader-Insert, Self Insert, Self Prompt, Self-tober, Slice of Life, one shots
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-10
Updated: 2019-11-10
Packaged: 2021-01-24 17:01:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 31
Words: 64,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21341653
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myownpersonaldemons/pseuds/myownpersonaldemons
Summary: A collection of one-shots that I wrote for Self-tober.
Relationships: Grillby (Undertale)/Reader, Papyrus (Undertale)/Reader, Sans (Undertale)/Reader, W. D. Gaster/Reader
Comments: 64
Kudos: 250





	1. First Kiss (Gaster/Reader)

**Author's Note:**

> Just a few things! 
> 
> Firstly; a couple of these delve a bit non-PG13. None of them are explicit but I will mention at the beginning of each chapter that they are.
> 
> Secondly; while a majority of these are gender-neutral, there are a few that aren't, again, I'll mention at the beginning of the chapter if the chapter uses feminine pronouns (since this is technically supposed to be like self-inserts I wrote them as such but a lot of them just don't have anything gendering the reader so)
> 
> Thirdly; I didn't want to spam you guys with a bunch of oneshots, so I attempted to publish these all at once so that you wouldn't be spammed. Sorry if you still got spammed! I didn't mean to!
> 
> Fourthly; I wrote these all on my tumblr, though these are actually edited unlike my tumblr posted ones.  
Lastly; ENJOY~!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> There are no feminine pronouns used and is fairly gender-neutral but there is a mention about shaving legs.

A sigh escaped your lips as you locked your apartment door. Another day, another dollar. Yet, what did you have to show for it? A lousy apartment, in a shitty neighbourhood, and your friend group was dwindling. Something about you ‘working too much’ as if it was your fault that you needed to work hard to make ends meet and not the fact that rent was going up but wage was staying static.

Another sigh, more bitter as you put your jacket on the coat rack and kicked your shoes haphazardly onto the little plastic mat so that when the snow melted it wouldn’t fuck up your floors.

Ah yes, it had snowed. In September. Great. Just what you wanted. Why couldn’t fall have actually happened this year instead of being skipped over in favour of the cold sticky snow that clung to everything. Hell, it had taken twice as long to get home! People saw the flakes falling and suddenly forgot how to drive.

You face planted into your couch and let out a long-suffering groan of disappointment.

You reached for your remote but it was too damn far for you to grab. Well, it really was only centimetres from your fingers but you didn’t want to have to reach for it any more than you already were. You were tired, sore, and emotionally drained from the day. Why does everything have to be so hard?

“ALLOW ME,” a familiar voice crackled like static through your living room. It almost read sarcastically as a phantom hand appeared and gently pushed the remote into your grasp. Sitting in your recliner was the ‘ghost’ himself. Wingdings Gaster. A delightfully goopy, polite monster who had taken to binge-watching Netflix while you were at work. You smiled softly and mumbled out thanks as you flicked on the TV.

Ah, right. You were ‘haunted’ as well.

Your sister actually refused to come to your apartment anymore because of the one time she saw one of the ghost hands appear to grab something you dropped. She had ‘noped’ out of the apartment so fast that you swore she left a skid mark on her way out.

It took a full show before you had regained enough energy to shift from the fairly uncomfortable position you had flopped into, and into something more comfortable. Gaster’s face turned towards you slightly as he watched you wriggle and writhe on the couch until you felt swaddled by the pillows and blanket.

“YOU NEED TO EAT,” Gaster’s staticy voice caused the tv sound to warp, and you sighed dramatically.

“Says you,” you huffed giving him a look.

“I DO NOT NEED TO EAT, BUT HUMANS DO,” he pointed out his smile widening slightly.

You sighed softly and lazily shoved the blankets off your form. Your stomach was starting to rumble, so he did have a point. You got to your feet and shuffled over to the kitchen.

“I’m not really in the mood to cook,” you huffed staring into your fridge with indignation. You did have some microwaveable meals for when you got into this mood, but you ran out of them and you had to wait until your next day off after pay day to buy more food. Right now, all you had was food that you had to cook into something. The large goopy form of Gaster appeared beside you as he bent down to peer into your fridge.

“YOU DO NOT NEED TO ACTUALLY EAT SOMETHING. YOU CAN EAT 'DONCONSTRUCTED' FOOD LIKE SANS DOES SOMETIMES,” he said, gesturing with one hand to your cold cut drawer. “YOU CAN TAKE SOME OF THE INGREDIENTS YOU'D USE TO MAKE A SANDWICH AND JUST EAT THOSE INDIVIDUAL FOOD WITHOUT HAVING TO ACTUALLY PUT THE SANDWICH TOGETHER.”

You looked over at him, “Gaster, you gotta slow down. I got no clue what you just said.”

“Ah, yes,” Gaster cleared his throat, look a bit sheepish, “I apologize, it is so natural to speak with you that I forget you sometimes cannot understand.”

“Thank you, now what were you saying?” you asked, leaning away from the fridge slightly. He explained that his son typically ate ‘deconstructed’ food when he was feeling down and that you could just take the ingredients to make, say a sandwich, and just eat them. Without needing to put them together to actually make a sandwich. “But isn’t that...lazy?”

Gaster gave you a withered look, “You couldn’t be bothered to grab a remote six centimetres away from your fingers, yet you draw the line at not making a ‘proper’ meal?”

“Aren’t you supposed to be my guardian angel? Whipping me into shape?” you teased, but started pulling out the cheese, meats, and lettuce. Gaster made a noise that you couldn’t quite place what emotion it was as he teleported out of your way and sat at the small dining table by the window.

“I am not an angel nor your guardian,” he grumbled, “I am stuck in the void and you are the only person who can consistently see me.”

“Aw, forced friendships make me feel so warm and fuzzy,” you deadpanned, tossing the items onto a plate and shoving the rest back into the fridge. You tossed two pieces of bread into the toaster and poured yourself a beverage.

“It is not forced,” Gaster clarified quickly, “I very much enjoy our interactions. You prove to be quite the conversationalist. Plus, you have a lovely singing voice when you are in the shower.”

You felt your cheeks heat up, “I do not sing in the shower!”

“What was it you were singing this morning? Something about liking boys?” he teased leaning forward in his chair slightly. “I, for one, think it’s adorable how boisterous you get.”

“You better just be listening and not watching, you creep!” you said, picking up a piece of cheese and wiggling it at him in a threatening manner before taking a large bite out of it.

“I would never,” he said indignantly, “Unless you permitted me to. I do wonder why it takes you so long sometimes.”

You flushed even more and grabbed the toast the moment they popped, ignoring the slight burn of the still-hot bread. You dropped into the seat across from him and kept your gaze resolutely on your ‘deconstructed’ meal in front of you. “I gotta shave sometimes.”

“Shave?” he said tilting his head. Ah, a new word he didn’t know. Cue the intrigued scientist.

“Yeah,” you said between a bite of cold cut meat, “I shave my legs sometimes. I did it last night after I got home from work.”

“Shave your legs? What does that entail?” he asked, curiously peering under the table at your legs.

“Uhm? Using a razor to cut the hairs flush to my skin?” you said, fumbling a bit with the wording. When he found a new word he didn’t know you couldn’t just explain it as if he was a human. As far as you knew, no monsters ever shaved. You wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t. They were a lot more comfortable with themselves than humans were.

A hand grasped your leg and lifted it making you yelp in surprise. Another phantom hand pushed up the bottom of your work pants to reveal your skin, and then a third hand appeared and gently ran a finger up and down the exposed flesh.

“Gaster!” you blurted out, jerking your leg away from him.

“Hm? Oh! I apologize, that was overstepping a boundary wasn’t it?” he asked, hands disappearing immediately. You couldn’t look at him.

“Kinda? Yeah...uh...yo-you gotta ask before stroking someone's leg,” you explained, hiding your face behind your hand. 

Then a thought suddenly surfaced.

“Wait! Y-You can..you can touch me?” you stuttered out, eyes snapping down to his hands politely folded on the table. His head tilted and he nodded.

“I cannot understand why, but yes! I think it has something to do with your SOUL? It would require further study of course,” he started, and quickly slipped back into his strange language as his speech sped up as he grew more and more excitable. You watched as his hands flashed in shapes as his excitement reached peak levels. You’d...never seen him this excited. It was kind of endearing. You didn’t bother interrupting to let him know you couldn’t understand...something told you that you wouldn’t understand even if you could understand the words.

“How long have you known?” you asked when he realized that he had been speaking for quite some time without you being able to understand.

“A couple weeks now. Once I started being able to interact with the world around you, I accidentally touched you one night. You had fallen asleep on the couch and I went to put the blanket around you when you shifted and my hands touched your shoulder,” he explained, a phantom hand appeared hovering over your shoulder. “May I?” he asked, and you nodded.

Now that you were focused, you could feel that what you thought would be a ghostly soft touch was actually quite solid. Part of you began to wonder if he could eventually slip directly into your world instead of just interacting through the veil of the two worlds.

His hand lifted after a few moments, and then it brushed aside a stray hair from your face. “You are quite lovely, my dear.”

You flushed, “Ah...thank you?”

“I admire you greatly,” he added.

At this point, you swore your face was going to explode with all the blushing you were doing. You shoved a chunk of toast in your mouth and quickly shifted your gaze out the window at the winter wasteland. “I think you’re pretty rad too,” you mumble through the mouthful of toast.

“Your flirtations could use a bit of work, my dear,” he teased, leaning his skull on a hand. You covered your face with your hand to his laughter. “I’m only teasing, and I will stop if it makes you uncomfortable.”

You shifted your hand slightly so it only covered half your face and peered over at him. He was smiling fondly at you, and you found yourself shyly returning the smile. “It doesn’t really,” you admitted shyly, “I just...am not used to this?”

“Used to what?”

“Flirting?” you mumbled, unable to maintain eye contact. You looked down at your plate and realized you had eaten everything already.

“Oh? I would have assumed you got many compliments about your beauty, your smile, and your humour,” he nearly purred the sentence out, causing a genuine smile to stretch across your face as you met his eyes and then quickly looked away.

“Gaster...” you huffed out, embarrassed, “I don’t know how many humans you’ve seen but-“

“But nothing!” he interrupted, patting your hand as if to apologize for his rudeness. “I have seen plenty of humans through the Netflix-”

You couldn’t help but snort and mutter ‘_the_ Netflix.’

He gave you a withered look, “Through Netflix. I have seen the diverse genders, and I still find you the most alluring and charming. You are genuine and this must be the first time I’ve seen you flustered. It’s quite intriguing...do my words make you uncomfortable?”

You buried your face into both hands and slumped slightly in your seat. You shook your head slightly, muttering “I’m good.”

Okay! That was a lie. You were totally going to explode now. You grabbed your plate, blurting out how you were done dinner and going to go get changed out of your work clothes. You fled the room like your ass was on fire, and seriously debated just climbing into your bed and hiding away until your face cooled.

Instead, you found yourself shuffling shyly back into the living room where Gaster had relocated to his favourite seat. You couldn’t lie to yourself, you enjoyed spending time around Gaster, and the thought of hiding in your room didn’t sit well with you. So, you plopped yourself down onto the couch and shyly avoided his gaze.

Halfway through the show, Gaster appeared beside you, making you jerk away in surprise. He held up his hands in apology instantly and shifted a bit further from you. You sent him a smile to let him know you were just a bit startled by his appearence rather than his closeness.

“I must ask, did I...over step my boundaries flirting with you? If I am to be around you, I do not want you to uncomfortable in my presence. Please do tell me when I do make you nervous.”

“Uhm...w-well, I didn’t mind you flirting with me,” you said carefully, “I just...get nervous easily when it comes to this sorta stuff. I...don’t really know why you’re fl-flirting with me so I...just don’t know? I m-mean...y’know?”

His head tilted in the way that he did when he was learning something new and processing it. It was cute.

“I am flirting with you because I feel an attraction to you both physically and mentally. Was that not obvious?” he asked, the permanent smile on his face seeming to fade slightly. Then it was a light bulb clicked in his mind and he grinned, “Ah! I know. I must be more clear with you? I heard that some humans are ‘dense’ when it comes to romantic inclinations from others.”

“Wh-Where did you hear that?” you asked, steadfastly ignoring the way your heart sped up at his declaration of his feelings towards you.

“A show,” he waved a hand, “I cannot remember which one. But! I do know that I have never felt this way towards another being before. My SOUL sings when you come back home, and you both sate my curiosity about your world and put up with my constant blabbering about new human cultural things I learned while you were gone. Your laughter is like a song to me, and I find myself quite amused by your humour, as well. I also know that I wish to partake in what humans call a ‘kiss’ with you...if that would be something you are comfortable with.”

You couldn’t help letting out a giggle at his words. _Partake in a kiss_. You nibbled on your lip and searched his face for any signs of insincerity but you knew you would find none. He had never lied to you about anything and there was no reason for him to lie about this. You swallowed thickly before nodding your head.

“Uhm...I’d like to kiss you too...” you whispered, unable to voice the words louder as if doing so would make you wake up from whatever dream you were having. Gaster’s face brightened, and his eye lights dropped down to look at your lips.

“I am not sure how,” he admitted immediately, eye lights flicking back to yours “Are you skilled in kissing?”

You let out a soft laugh, “Not really? But I’m sure we could figure it out?”

He reached up and placed a hand on your cheek, which still surprised you how solid and warm it felt for someone who wasn’t truly with you.

You leaned forward and gently placed your lips against the curved smile. He hummed appreciatively and...nuzzled against your face. A giggle escaped from you, and when you opened your eyes he was beaming at you. Then he nuzzled his mouth against yours again. It was...adorable and pulled yet another giggle from you. He chuckled as well, sending a happy shiver through your body as your hands reached up and cradled his skull.

“I see why humans are so fixated on ‘smooching’. Especially if it elicits such cute noises from you,” Gaster admitted against your mouth, not bothering to pull away to voice his thoughts. You placed a hand over your face, embarrassed instantly. Would you ever not be embarrassed when being affectionate? Probably not! However, Gaster didn’t seem to mind, letting out a soft laugh himself and gently removing your hand from your face and nuzzling you again.

You pressed a shy kiss against his ‘lips’ again and his smile widened.

It was fairly safe to say that you spent the rest of the night pressing gentle kisses to Gaster’s skull in trade for nuzzles.

Your awful day had been cured in less than an hour by an overly affectionate, goopy skeleton monster.


	2. Fall Fashion (HT!Papyrus/Reader)

You weren’t by any means the most fashion-forward person out there. There were too many styles out there, and you honestly couldn’t be bothered with keeping up with the newest fall colour pallets. What you wore last year for fall would serve you well for this year, and you knew it. Why spend money on an entirely new wardrobe every season when you could just add layers on and wear what you wanted?

Though, you did admit you had a thing for sweaters.

The moment the temperature dropped below 10 degrees celsius, you broke out your sweater collection. From big thick, soft fuzzy sweaters, you wore for warmth when you left, to thinner but equally soft sweaters that were getting thread-bear at home. It was delightful. Plus! When you got a size up than usual, the sleeves would be long enough that they nearly covered your entire hand, which was how you liked it.

Long sleeves better either cover your hand or they better be able to be pushed up to your elbows — no in-between.

When you were walking back to your car from meeting up with a friend at a cafe, something caught your eye. One of the shops had gotten in their fall collection. You hesitated at the window, you usually weren't the type to window shop or even really look at outfits in store windows...but your eye had caught something beautiful. A Halloween theme sweater! You swore if they could’ve, your eyes would’ve turned into little hearts. Fall? Halloween?? Sweaters???

You hurried inside, wiping off any leaves that had stuck to the bottom of your shoes onto the matt.

“WELCOME! I WILL BE RIGHT WITH YOU,” a voice bellowed happily from further into the store. You glanced up, startled, and pulled your scarf down from your mouth.

“Papyrus?” you called back, trying to find the tall skeleton. His head poked out from near the fitting rooms, and he absolutely beamed. Drawing your attention immediately to that fact that it had been way too long since you had last seen him, he’d gotten his braces removed. You smiled back, giving a small wave towards him. “It’s been forever!” you called happily, as he hurried over to you, grinning. Over his one arm laid a bunch of different clothing pieces.

“IT HAS BEEN TOO LONG!” he chirped, “BUT THAT IS PARTIALLY MY FAULT. SO MUCH HAS HAPPENED!”

“I see you got your braces removed,” you gestured to your mouth, “You look amazing! How do you feel?”

“AMAZING! I HAD GOTTEN USED TO THE PAIN, SO I FORGOT WHAT IT FELT LIKE TO NOT BE IN SUCH EXCRUCIATING PAIN!” he said, voice still cheerful. Your face fell slightly; he’d …never said that before. Was he always in pain? You shoved those thoughts away; with Papyrus, there was always a reason for him _not_ saying something. If he hadn’t wanted you to know, he wouldn’t have told you. You were happy that he did now, and so you pushed the smile back onto your face. You weren't good enough friends with him that you felt comfortable enough to ask him why he _didn't_ tell you that.

“That’s great, I’m happy for you,” you said warmly, patting his arm. “So! When did you start working here?”

“A FEW WEEKS NOW. I’M REALLY ENJOYING IT! I GET A STAFF DISCOUNT ON ALL THE CLOTHING, AND I GET TO HELP PEOPLE BE AS STYLISH AS I AM!” he explained, before looking you up and down quickly. “AND YOU!”

You blushed lightly, “Paps, c’mon. Between the two of us, you’ve got the looks,” you only half teasing, gesturing to him. He was the epitome of ‘fashion’ as far as you were concerned. Mostly because he was wearing a sweater, and you fucking loved sweaters. He was wearing jeans with a burnt orange turtle neck sweater with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows.

He’d honestly taken to fashion insanely fast and quickly. Though, you were kind of disappointed that he wasn’t wearing a sparkly pink crop top and cut off shorts because that was a look. Then again, he probably had a uniform…and it was fall. Shorts and a crop top didn't exactly suit the quickly declining weather.

Papyrus simply beamed, straightening up further and puffing up his chest, pleased by your compliment. “I DO! THAT’S WHY I WAS HIRED SO QUICKLY! THE MANAGER, TRACY, SAID THAT I WAS EXCENTRIC WITH MY FASHION AND THERE NEEDS TO BE MORE RISK TAKERS!”

“Where’s the risk with this look?” you teased, reaching forwards and tugging lightly at his sweater. “Looks like a normal fashionable male outfit.”

He grinned almost slyly, “WAIT RIGHT HERE!”

He darted into the back before running back out with a floor-length faux fur coat that was a teal-ish colour. You felt your grin widen almost painfully, and you gasped, “Put that on!”

Papyrus wasted no time pulling it on, and you placed your hands over your cheeks. “You look so great!”

“I KNOW! SANS SAID I LOOK LIKE A OVERGROWN FURBY!” he said proudly with a mischievous glint in his eye, “AND WE BOTH KNOW SANS HAS THE FASHION SENSE OF A ROCK.”

You giggled at him, “Well, I think you look great, and that looks super warm.”

You thought it was bold and ridiculously him. You would never cease to be amazed by Papyrus’ ability not to give a fuck what other people thought of him but at the same time be so concerned by what people think about him.

You pulled off your gloves as you started to overheat and tucked them into your pockets. “Now that I know for sure that you’re still the fashionable Paps that I know and love, can I get your assistance to help me find that Halloween sweater in the window?” you asked, pointing in the windows vague direction.

A light pale orange blush dusted his cheeks, and he nodded. Your head tilted slightly at the blush, but he excused himself to put his coat in the back room and said he’d be right back to help you. As he left, you wandered randomly towards the window, examining the clothes without anything catching your eye. After all, you were interested in the sweaters only. Not the 30 dollar shirts.

When he got back to the front, it was a whirlwind of clothing…and you never felt so confident when trying on clothes before. Papyrus was the kind of monster who _told _you if a particular sweater wasn’t ‘you’ or didn’t do you any favours and then would praise the crap out of you for looking great. You finally tried on the sweater that you spotted in the window and grinned as you twirled in the mirror before turning towards him. With a noise vaguely like 'ta-da', you held out your arms slightly.

“What do you think?” you asked cheekily.

The blush was back, and you giggled.

Imagine wearing a skeleton sweater would making him flustered.

“Beautiful,” he said, eyes shifting away from you. You beamed.

“Awww, that’s the best comment I’ve gotten yet!” you teased and then turned towards the mirror. “I think I’m going to get this one.”

Papyrus walked over to you and smiled at you through the mirror. There was still a light blush on his cheeks, but his smile was happy and full, “GOOD CHOICE!”

“Thanks~!” you said happily, “Can I wear it out?”

“OF COURSE!” he said, gently taking the tag off of the sweater, “DO YOU WANT TO BUY ANYTHING ELSE?”

“Nope!”

As he headed over to the front counter, you grabbed your things from the changing room and followed him up. He hummed happily as he rung you up, and soon the sweater was 100% yours. This day was getting better and better, but this was probably the peak since you were heading back home to veg out for the remainder of your day off. You’d have to make sure to stop by the store more often, even if it was just to see Papyrus.

You smiled warmly at him and said your goodbyes, wishing him a good rest of his day. However, he called out to you before you took even two steps. “I WANT TO ASK YOU SOMETHING BEFORE YOU GO,” he called, and you quickly turned back towards him. He was fiddling with the bottom of his sweater; his sharpened fingers were starting to poke holes in the fabric, so you reached out and gently took his hands away. You knew he hated when he poked holes in his shirts, but when he got nervous, he couldn’t stop himself. Maybe you’d see if you could find something that he could fidget with when he got nervous so he wouldn’t get so mad at himself afterwards.

“Yeah?” you asked gently, smiling up at him in hopes that it would ease his nerves.

“W-Would You Want To…Go On A Date With Me?” he asked voice at a more normal tone than it usually was. You hadn’t heard him speak like this for quite some time.

You blushed vibrantly and looked at him in surprise. He wanted to date you?

“AH! NEVERMIND THAT WAS S-“

“I’d love to!” you blurted out, interrupting him before he could self-deprecate himself.

“YOU WOULD?” he said, sounding as surprised as you were that he had asked you out. You nodded eagerly.

“You still have my number, right? We can figure out a when and where after your done work!” you suggested, feeling bubbly. You squeezed his hands that were still in yours, and he gave them a gentle squeeze in return.

“O-OKAY! I WILL DO THAT! OH SANS IS GOING TO BE SO HAPPY FOR ME!” Papyrus gushed, his blush lighting up his face, and he leant down and pressed his teeth against your forehead, which made your blush darken. You giggled softly.

“Paps, you are still working,” you reminded him, and he blinked.

“OH. YES,” he said, eyes shifting over the store, and he cleared his throat. “I MUSTN’T BE DISTRACTED THEN! I WILL CONTACT YOU LATER, MY DEAR!”

You honestly couldn’t grin any larger, so you reluctantly stepped away from him. “I’m looking forward to it! Work hard!”

He scoffed, “OF COURSE! NEVER EXPECT ANYTHING LESS FROM ME!”

“I’d never,” you teased, taking a few steps backwards before turning and heading towards the door, as you opened it you looked over your shoulder. “See you soon, Paps!”

You blew him a kiss just to see his blush intensify, and he beamed.

You were so glad you went in to get that sweater.


	3. Costume (US!Sans/Reader)

“_YOU’VE REACHED THE MAGNIFICENT SANS! SORRY I MISSED YOUR CALL BUT DON’T WORRY I WILL GET BACK TO YOU AS FAST AS MY BUSY LIFE CAN ALLOW!”_

“Hey, Sans! I’m throwing a Halloween party if you and Paps want to come. It’s the Saturday before Halloween, my place, starting at 6 PM. Oh yeah, and it’s a costume party, however, so you have to dress up! And you can tell your brother that he can wear those glasses with the fake nose as his costume if he wants.”

You hadn’t been surprised really that you had gotten his voicemail, he would’ve still been working at that point, and he wasn’t allowed to be on his cell phone.

You got a call later that night from him, and you could perfectly envision him nearly vibrating with his excitement. A costume party at your place combined Sans’ favourite things; costumes, social events, and you. When you admitted that you, personally, hadn’t thought of what you wanted to be yet, he gasped and when you followed it up with ‘I’ll probably swing by the costume store to pick something up’ he had told you not to because it was overpriced garbage and he knew exactly what to do!

You hadn’t been able to ask him what he meant by that as the phone call changed direction almost immediately and then you were saying goodnight.

When you phoned him the next day to try to pry it out of him, he didn’t return your call like he usually would. Your ‘bonefriend’ was punctual about stuff like that, unlike his brother, who never listened to his voicemail. Let alone respond to it. There was one time you phoned Papyrus asking if he could pick you up from work on his way back from work because your car broke down. So you had to walk back to your house in the rain because you couldn’t afford a tow-truck or the services (You didn’t…really blame him…especially since he felt so bad that he surprised you by fixing up your car for free.)

So…you sent him a text, even though he didn’t really like texting. Unless it was his standard ‘GOOD MORNING MY BEAUTIFUL DATEMATE, HOPE THE DAY IS AS MAGNIFICENT AS YOU!’ wake up text at 5:00 AM, and his 10:00 PM text of ‘GOODNIGHT MY LOVE, I HOPE YOUR DREAMS ARE AS KIND TO YOU AS YOU ARE TO ME.’

Still nothing.

You sent Paps a message, just in case, and you were just told that Sans had been coming home and locking himself in the basement until he went to bed. No idea what he was working on or anything. As it was a ‘SECRET!’

It soothed you a bit because at least Sans wasn’t injured, missing, or worse. However, the irritation _did _settle in when you hadn’t seen him in over a week, and when he did message you, it was short and sweet. Super sweet messages too. As was his normal. However, you still found yourself growing...lonely and as you usually did when you got lonely...you sort of just further isolated yourself. Negative feelings weren't your forte...

Still, you had a party to get ready for, and even if you didn't, Halloween was coming up. So, you had brushed aside your feelings and had dug out your decorations, rolled up your sleeves, and got some music going. You enjoyed Halloween decorating, and it wasn’t too hard to do since most of your house already had that ‘creepy Victorian’ aesthetic; all you had to do was add mood lighting, fake cobwebs, and some tasteful skull (though Papyrus liked to mention that all the skulls were way too small and were disproportionate to typical human skulls) and other Halloween friendly decorations. You put on some spook tunes as you flitted about your house, feeling the irritation fall from your shoulders as you switched out your regular throw blankets for Halloween themed ones.

Later in the day, as you were bookmarking Halloween treats to bake, a rapid knocking on your front door startled you. You _hated_ people showing up unannounced, and hated the sound of knocking even more. The only people who frequently visited you typically messaged you when they were going to be there, and then messaged you when they got there. No knocking required. But…you still got up and snuck to the front door, making sure your footsteps were light and peered out the peephole.

The confusion brought your eyebrows together as you unlocked and opened your door. “Sans? What’re you doing here?”

“Did You Not Get My Texts?” he asked, genuinely surprised. “I Messaged You That I Was Coming An Hour Ago.”

You patted your pockets quickly, realizing that you didn’t have your phone on you. You couldn’t remember if it was by your computer or not…and you usually had it on silent because of your work. You shook your head, “Sorry, I have no clue where my phone is. I’ve been decorating for the party.”

Sans beamed at you, and you stepped aside and gestured for him to enter your home, which he does so eagerly. You noticed he was carrying something with him. A box that he was hiding behind his back. You eyed it, curiously, “Whatcha got there?”

Another grin and he held out the box to you, “I MADE YOU A COSTUME!”

Your eyebrows flew up, and your eyes flicked from the box up to his face. “You…made me a costume?”

Sans nodded happily, humming his confirmation. “YOU WERE GOING TO SPEND AN EXORBITANT AMOUNT FOR A CHEAPLY MADE COSTUME!”

You hesitated before accepting the box, “This probably cost _you_ though…I’ve made costumes from scratch before, and they’re not cheap.”

He scoffed, “I HAVE PLENTY OF FABRIC AND OTHER MATERIALS TO MAKE COSTUMES OR CLOTHING. HAVE YOU NOT BEEN IN THE BASEMENT YET?”

You shook your head, but with how neat and organized he was, it made you want to. You’d cosplayed before, and you usually made a complete mess of your own basement when you did make a costume. Sans probably had a place for everything, and everything was in its place at all times.

“TRY IT ON! I WANT TO MAKE SURE I GOT THE PROPER SIZING. THAT’S WHY IT HASN’T BEEN LINED OR HEMMED, YET!” he chirped as he gently took your shoulders and steered you towards your bedroom. He opened the door for you and waved you in. “I’LL WAIT IN THE LIVING ROOM FOR YOU!”

As you turned around to close the door, he stepped forward and pressed his teeth to your cheek with a loud ‘MWAH!’ before turning and striding back towards the living room. Your face flushed, and you grinned shyly as you closed the door. That was always the cutest fucking thing when he did that.

Once you tried on the costume, you’d be more than willing to smooch him back.

So, you lifted the lid of the box. At first, you couldn’t tell what it is, just a pile of fabric. However, once you gently removed the cloth from inside, a grin stretched over your face.

You eagerly pulled it on and opened your closet door to look at yourself through the mirror on the backside of it. It fit you pretty well, a bit too loose at the waist and a bit too tight at the shoulds, but otherwise, it looked great. You’d gained weight since you last dressed up like this, and for the first time, you felt comfortable trying something on.

You hurried out to show Sans, and he gasped happily when he saw you. “YOU KEEP SURPRISING ME! YOUR BEAUTY KNOWS NO LIMITS!”

A blush dusted your cheeks as you held out your arms slightly to show off the costume more. “Way to compliment your own work,” you teased, brushing off the compliment with practised ease. It wasn't something that happened a lot, compliments directed towards you, so when they did happen, you often deflected them with humour. However, your boyfriend gave you a sly look before crossing the room to stand in front of you, and his, his hands came up to rest on your hips as he grinned at you.

“The Costume Is Just Fabric, But You Make Everything You Wear Look Like A Masterpiece,” he said, voice dropping slightly into the more natural deep baritone. You swallowed thickly and glanced away in embarrassment.

“Noooo, I don’t,” you denied shyly, and his hands slid around to your back, and then he slowly pulled you flush to him.

“You’re Even Cuter When You Blush,” he teased, pressing a kiss to your lips. You made an embarrassed, but happy, noise and then he pulled back. “I’M HAPPY I GOT MOST OF THE MEASUREMENTS RIGHT! I’LL GET IT ALL FIXED UP BEFORE THE PARTY!”

You kissed him back, “Thanks, Sans. This is amazing. You’re amazing.”

His grin slightly fell. That made your smile fall as well, and you reached up to cup his bony cheek. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m Not Amazing!” he said, frowning, “I Got So Excited About Your Party That I Have Not Been The Best Datemate. I’m Sorry For Neglecting You!”

You instantly felt a bit anxious; did you make him think you were upset with him? You had been, but…you didn’t want him to feel bad about it. You gave him a chaste kiss before saying, “Ah…no, it was only a week…you don’t gotta apolo-“

Sans instantly pulled you into a tight hug, “I DO NEED TO APOLOGIZE. YOU DESERVE BETTER THAN HOW I IGNORED YOU FOR THE PAST WEEK.”

“It’s okay,” you tried, patting his back.

He leaned away to look you in the eyes, “IT’S NOT OKAY???”

You flushed slightly, “Uh…I mean- I…okay?”

A look of realization washed over his face, and it softened from the confusion, and he gave you a gentle kiss. “You’re Allowed To Be Upset With Me, You Know….But Please Tell Me? Open Communication Is Key For A Healthy Relationship. Even If I Figured It Out Myself Based On Your Messages, It’s Not Fair To Me But Especially To You To Feel Like You Have To Bottle Up Your Emotions.”

You stared at him in guilty surprise, before dropping your gaze. “You’re right…I’m so-“

“Nope! No Apologises Allowed! Instead, Tell Me How You Felt,” he said, tightening his grip on you slightly. Your mouth opened and closed as you tried to get yourself to say something, but it felt like it was stuck in your throat. You didn’t want to upset him…but he was telling you that he wanted to know regardless of his own feelings.

So…“I…felt lonely,” you admitted softly, keeping your gaze on your hand resting against his cheek. “I don’t know why either because I’m okay with other people taking a while to get back to me…but when it was you not responding like you normally did…”

When you didn’t speak for a while, he pressed the softest nuzzle against your mouth, “I Am Sorry I Made You Feel That Way. I Didn’t Mean To But That’s No Excuse. I’ll Do Better For You.”

You pulled him into a tight hug, burying your face against his shoulder. You felt tears prickling at the corner of your eyes, and you snuffled, trying to keep them at bay. A moment went by where neither of you said anything or moved, just held each other. Then, finally, you pulled back and wiped at your face with the back of your hand.

“Thanks, Sans,” you murmured, “I love you.”

“I LOVE YOU TOO,” he said, before littering your face with kisses until you were giggling. “I Get That It’ll Take Some Time For You To Get Comfortable With That. But For Now? LET’S GET YOU INTO SOMETHING MORE COMFORTABLE!”

You tilted your head curiously before you were scooped up bridal style. You let out an undignified squawk and clung to his shoulders. However, your temporary fear of being carried had faded long ago after dating Sans. His strength was phenomenal, and you put your entire trust into the fact that he wouldn't drop you. So your squawk quickly dissolved into giggles. He gave you a wide grin before he raced towards your bedroom, sliding to a halt before your bed and then gently tossing you onto it, so you bounced. You giggled again as he picked the box from the bed and placed it neatly onto your bedside table.

“Now Let's Get You Out Of That Costume? Shall We?” he said, and you reached up, grasping his jacket and pulling him down to you.


	4. Rainy (UT!Grillby/Reader)

You woke suddenly in the middle of the night. For no apparent reason. There was no left behind anxiety of a forgotten nightmare or adrenaline-fueled dream, nor was there any noise that stood out to you as being something that would wake you. All you could see was the soft glow of your husband and all you could hear was his gentle, almost sleepy, crackling, and the soft pitter-patter of rain on the roof. It was so weak at first that you didn’t notice it over the ambient noise that Grillby made, but it was there. The sound grew and then faded with the wind shifts, and you felt the chill seeping into the room from the window. Grillby shifted, his flames dimming a bit more like a particularly cold gust of air entered the room.

Maybe you should close the window?

Nah. Your sleep-addled mind didn’t want to move, simply enjoy the warmth emanating beside you, and the soft seep of chill on your foot that had found its way out of the bed covers in the middle of the night. What your mind did allow, however, was for you to shift your head towards Grillby. Your husband.

A sleepy grin stretched over your face.

Your bondmate.

You couldn’t believe that he was yours…and you were his.

Even almost at your one-year anniversary.

It had rained on your wedding day, as well, much to both of your dismay. The two of you shared very opposite opinions on weather and water. He loved hot, dry days while you preferred cool, rainy nights like this one. However, as small as your wedding with Grillby had been, the two of you had planned for an outside wedding…and every time you checked the weather report it had said that the day would be clear skies but a cool wind, perfect. Then…you woke up to a thunderstorm that lasted halfway through the day and then pittered off into a simple rainstorm for the next two days. Both of you had been disappointed, but you swore he was moreso than you were. When he had apologized to you, upset that the two of you couldn’t have the perfect day that the two of you had been envisioning for months, you had told him that you would’ve been okay with getting married at the town hall with Sans as your witness slurping back ketchup, and you clad only in your pyjamas if it meant marrying him. You honestly didn’t mind that everything had to be packed up and the two of you ended up getting married to each other in his bar.

You'd honestly, been totally okay with it being in his bar. If you were his one true love, the bar was a _very_ close second to your amusement. If he could kiss his bar you were sure he would...and had teased him about staying late just to smooch the bar top.

You rolled onto your side, slowly waking up the longer you watched his flames dance about his head and thought about your life since you met him. That, alone, was such a chance encounter that it still made you take a step back when you realized how _small_ of a chance it had been. Funnily enough, it had been raining that day as well. There had been a cooking class that your friend had roped you into because she hadn’t wanted to go alone. It had been fairly early in the day, but looking out the window would've convinced you otherwise. Grillby had been there with Sans, both dragged into it by Papyrus who insisted that Grillby learn how to make something other than greasy bar food. Which, you knew he knew how to make more than what was on the menu because you had dated him for five years before you got married.

He’d walked in, grumpy about the rain with Sans making rain puns, and you’d been stunned to see him and two walking skeletons. You had been well aware of monsters before then, but the three of them together were a sight to behold...especially considering Papyrus' indoor voice constantly caught the attention of anyone within earshot. Of course, you actively made sure you didn’t stare at people and they were no exception, so besides a little glance at them when they entered, you didn’t really spare them another look. Even if you couldn’t help but notice the firey monster every time he came into your peripherals...and the small part of your brain that had no impulse control kept chanting 'TOUCH HIM, TOUCH HIM, TOUCH THE FLAME MAN.' While the other parts of your brain clamped down on that REAL quick.

If it hadn’t been for you and Papyrus literally bumping into each other at the end of the class, you wouldn’t have ever spoken to Grillby...nor gave a cheesy flirt which left you both blushing at your boldness. Especially considering your friend had been like 'OOOOOH YOU FLIRTING!' because she was obnoxious as much as you love her. It wouldn't have led to you nervously stuttering your way through a confession about your feelings a few months later. You wouldn’t have fallen so quickly in love with him that it had hurt to breathe. You wouldn’t have moved into his apartment above the bar. You wouldn’t have slowed danced with him in the living room after watching a romantic movie and you pointing out that you knew no couples who just randomly slow danced together to no music. You wouldn't be laying next to this handsome monster who's snored in his sleep no matter how vehemently he denied that he did. 

You wouldn’t have learned that he was a cheesy romantic who could make you feel so comfortable and yet so breathless at the same time. 

Ah, yes. It was four am, it was raining, and you were getting mushy and affectionate.

It was okay, however, because he was asleep and you didn’t have to explain anything to anyone. There was no one to judge you and nothing needed to be hidden away. You could gaze as affectionately at your bondmate as you wanted to! You could think all night about your husband and no one could stop you!

You giggled at your thoughts.

“…why’re you awake?”

His voice actually startled you into jumping slightly, and he sat up slightly but then sent the window a weak glare. He didn’t like the cold, but you honestly needed to have a window cracked or the a/c going when lying next to him or you’d overheat and you hated being too hot.

You shrugged lightly, “woke up.”

A hum left his mouth and he glared again at the window before lying back down, this time on his side facing you. You smiled softly at him as he picked up your hand and gently kissed the knuckles. You could still see the sleep in his eyes. He was barely holding onto his consciousness as the two of you laid together, listening to the rain. Another gentle kiss to your knuckles before he laid your hand back down. You immediately missed the warmth. The cold was becoming a bit too much...damn autumn rainstorms.

You didn’t have to miss the warmth for long, as he rested his hand on your hip and gently messaged the exposed skin above your sleep shorts. You sighed happily and curled closer to him. If you weren’t being lulled into the limbo between sleep and wake you would’ve wriggled closer to him for an early morning cuddle. Grillby’s hand stroked from your hip up your side and then slipped around to rest on the middle of your back before drawing you closer to him. Another content hum left you, and he pressed a kiss into your hair as his fingers began to knead the forever tense muscles that made up your back. You lazily slid your leg in between his, and sneakily slipped your hands under his shirt to rest against his warm chest. He jumped slightly, making you tilt your head back to look up at him.

“…your hands are freezing,” he complained quietly, blowing some harmless sparks against your face causing you to giggle. You almost missed the affectionate smile he gave you, but you didn’t miss the half-hearted glare as you pulled your hands away and stuck them out of the blankets. “…don’t you dare.”

“Don’t what?” you giggled, “You’re just too hot that I overheat.”

He rolled his eyes, “That’s why the window’s open.”

“Exactly,” you said before withdrawing your hands beneath the blanket once again.

“Don’t stick them up my shirt,” he warned, so you did the mature thing.

You stuck one of them down the back of his pants causing him to jerk towards you. You gave his butt a squeeze for good measure too. He sighed, but you saw him struggling to keep a ‘scolding’ look. His flames gave away his amusement and affection. “That’s not what I meant.”

He pulled your hand out from his boxers and pinned it to the bed. You saw the half-hearted glare turn mischievous and you smiled up at him, warily. So, you did what any sensible person would do, remind them that you were their loving partner. 

“I love you?”

“I love you too,” he huffed, kissing your temple. “But I do need to get my revenge.”

Without warning, he yanked the bedsheets off of you and the rush of cold air against you had you immediately diving towards him. He laughed and quickly replaced the sheets over you.

God. You loved this flaming man.

But it was on!

You twisted around so you could be the little spoon, snuggling back against his chest. However, as he went to wrap his arm around you, you tucked the blanket closer to yourself and then rolled away from him. Successfully burritoing yourself and facing him again. You stuck your tongue out and buried yourself a bit deeper into the very toasty blankets. It was always like snuggling into sheets fresh out of the oven, and each morning you thoroughly took advantage of slipping onto his side of the bed when he got out.

“That’s not fair,” he huffed, but amusement danced in his eyes as he sat up. “You’re too cute.”

“M’burrito,” you mumbled into the fabric and gave him a pleased look. Like the cat that got the canary.

A roll of his eyes but then he grabbed the end and yanked.

Neither of you expected that you’d be unwound straight off the bed and onto the cold hardwood floor.

For a moment you sat there, completely still, staring up at the ceiling until Grillby’s head popped into view and you saw the extremely concerned look on his face, mouth opened in an apology.

You burst out laughing.

You were so glad you married this man.

He got off the bed and crouched beside you. “Are you okay? Did you hit your head?”

You shook your head, wheezing slightly. “I just…that was- and your face!”

Grillby’s head tilted to the side slightly before he sighed, sparks flying again but you just burst into more laughter. You made an attempt to give him a smooch but you ended up just pressing your forehead against his cheek and giggling, unable to sober up for even a moment to kiss your husband.

“You’re a dork,” he said, tucking his arm beneath your legs and another behind your back before hoisting you back onto the bed. “...you are okay though, right?”

“Y-Yeah,” you giggled out, “Takes more than falling out of bed to hurt me.”

“Thank goodness,” he hummed, tucking the blanket back around both of you and pulling you against his chest. “As much as I love playing around in bed, I think you need to actually sleep. You’re becoming giggle happy.”

That made you giggle even more and you shook your head, “I’m a giggly bitch what can I say.”

He kissed your forehead, “I love you.”

“Love you too.”

You fell asleep listening to the rain…in the arms of your best friend and husband.


	5. Switch (UT!Sans/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The reader has a bit of a description in this one (a tattoo is described) and it's very, very vaguely hinted at that the Reader has the possibility of becoming pregnant (like very vaguely hinted at tbh but still wanted to say)

You were elbow-deep in dishwater when the lights flickered rapidly and then cut out. The small amount of light still left in the day barely lit up the kitchen, and you sighed heavily. Sans had gone down to fiddle with the machine in the basement. He had said he was looking at disconnecting it for good…but he wasn’t ready to give up. You remember asking him what it was for, and you remember that he told you…but you couldn’t remember what he had said? It was a blank hole in your memory almost, and the more you tried to think of it, the harder it was to remember.

Sans probably blew a fuse or something.

Hopefully, it hadn’t fucked up the neighbourhood’s electricity again. You had people giving you dirty looks for a week after that happened the last time, and Sans had promised to reroute it off the main energy grid.

You abandoned the dishes because you _totally_ can’t do them in the dark. They could stand to soak anyways.

You hated it when it was dish duty night for you.

“Sans?” you called out, drying your hands off on the towel over your shoulder, “What happened?”

There was a muffled oath before you heard him thudding up the stairs. You furrowed your brow slightly. That…was heavier than Sans normally was, and he rarely walked up the stairs. You were more startled by the sound of him walking up the steps rather than just teleporting up to the kitchen.

“uh…i was rerouting it like i told ya i was going to,” he said behind you.

“Should I light candles? Or can you fix the electricity tonight? If not, we did buy the portable heater, so I don’t get too cold tonight,” you said, shifting into a mumble at the end as you switched to talking to yourself. Without turning to look at him, you turned on the flashlight on your phone and headed towards the living room. Where did you put it in the spring? One of the closets…

“so…uh…we might have a bigger problem?” he said, voice sounding a bit strained.

Crap. Was this going to cost you two? You turned around, resigned to the fate of having to dip into your mutual savings account.

Instead of a skeleton standing behind you, as you were expecting, there was a fully fleshed human.

You instantly screamed and tripped over your own feet in your haste to dart backwards.

Where the hell was Sans, and why was there a _human _in your house? Well…other than yourself!

“h-hey! babe, it’s okay. it’s me,” Sans’ voice came out of the human as his hands reached towards you.

“What the hell?” you whispered, shuffling further away from the man’s hands.

“i don’t know?” the man admitted, dropping into a crouch in front of you, hands resting on his knees. He paused, staring down at his hands for a moment before he shivered and removed his hands. “that’s really weird.”

“What the hell?” you said a bit louder, and he glanced over and reached towards you again, but you moved further away.

“babe. it _is_ me. uh…you were embarrassed to wear anything besides pants in front of me because you have a skull tattoo on the side of your lower leg,” he tapped on your leg and then grinned at you, “the first time we _boned_ you got all flustered cus I kept making skull puns when I was-“

You kicked at him lightly, “s-shut up.”

“there we go,” he chuckled, and then straightened and held out his hand towards you. “i…don’t know how this happened but i’ll figure it out.”

For a moment, you just stared at his hand, but then you sighed. This was Sans…even if he was a human. You took his hand, and you both didn’t move for a moment. “That’s…weird,” you grumbled but allowed him to pull you to your feet. He didn’t let go of your hand but squeezed it lightly, and his head tilted. “What?”

“you feel different s’all,” he explained, squeezing again and then smoothing his thumb over your thumb. You shivered.

“So do you, and it’s weird,” you insisted, “Get all used to your bones touching me, and now it feels…weird.”

He chuckled, “really weird.”

Now that you weren’t in a panic, you actually assessed your boyfriend. He was still the same height but just fleshed out. His shirt looked like it was a bit too tight since it had been bought for nothing but bones. His hoodie still fit, and his baseball shorts as well since they were both loose on his frame anyways. You were suddenly glad that it was _him_ who had turned human and not Papyrus, his clothes would’ve probably cut off circulation if he had switched species.

Wait…had it only affected Sans? Or could it have affected more?

“Uh…Sans?” you interrupted his focus on feeling up your hand and arm. His eyes flicked up to yours, a bright blue. “W-Would this affect others?”

A beat.

“crap.”

He stared at you for a second longer.

“shit.”

“What?” you asked, frowning.

A nervous look crossed over his face, “uh…can’t teleport.”

“Oh,” you hummed, “we could just…phone Paps?”

He nodded, but there was still a sense of nervousness washed over him as you bent down and picked up your phone. You could tell he was impatient as you quickly dialled Papyrus’ number, but then he placed a hand on your elbow.

“if he’s good, don’t tell him anything,” Sans whispered, “i don’t want to freak him out.”

You frowned slightly but nodded. There were times when Sans was just too much of a protective older brother, and you thought that this was one of the times when it wasn’t necessary. What if Sans _couldn’t _go back to being a monster and was a human forever? Papyrus would eventually find out and be disappointed and hurt that Sans hadn’t told him immediately. However, you’d pester your boyfriend into telling his brother at a later date. Right now, you were just going to do as he requested.

Papyrus’ voice came over the phone boisterous and loud as always saying your name warmly. “HOW ARE YOU?”

“I’m good, Paps, how’re you?” you asked, trying to keep your tone as neutral as possible. Sans’ hand hadn’t left your elbow yet, fiddling with the fabric.

“I’M DOING GREAT! I WAS ACTUALLY JUST ABOUT TO TEXT YOU AND SANS AS FRISK WANTS TO HAVE OUR MONTHLY ANIME SLEEPOVER NIGHT TOMORROW!” Papyrus said, happily, “CAN YOU LET HIM KNOW?”

“Ah, yup! I can do that. He’s uh….working right now,” you said, shifting your phone to your other hand and lightly whacking Sans’ hand away from your elbow as it was getting ticklish.

“OH! THE MACHINE?” Papyrus said, and you blinked in surprise. Sans had told you that Papyrus wasn’t aware of the machine. Maybe that had changed? You glanced over at Sans, but he didn’t seem to have heard what Papyrus had said and was tugging at his shirt uncomfortably. Maybe you had an oversized sleep shirt that he could borrow? All of his shirts would be too small.

“Yeah?” you said, more of a question than a statement.

Papyrus huffed, “I DON’T KNOW WHY HE’S STILL WORKING ON THAT OLD THING. BUT THAT’S JUST ME. ANYWAYS! WHAT DID YOU WANT TO TALK ABOUT?”

“Oh! Right…uh, I was actually just calling to…” you trailed off, mind going blank. Sans quickly pointed towards the kitchen. “Uh…invite you over for dinner tomorrow? But since uh…we’re going to Frisk’s tomorrow for the sleepover,” you gave Sans a pointed look, “I guess we’ll see you tomorrow anyway.”

Papyrus was quiet for a moment, “HM. ALRIGHT! I WILL TEXT YOU WITH THE TIME! I’LL SEE YOU TOMORROW!”

“Yeah, see you, Paps,” you said, albeit a little distractedly as Sans had decided to strip off his hoodie and shirt. You waited for Papyrus to say his goodbyes before hanging up. “Why are you stripping?”

“the shirt’s way too tight,” he complained, tossing it onto the couch. You looked at it, pointedly. “i’ll pick it up later.”

“Yeah, you gotta go fix the machine or figure out a way to tell everyone why you’re a human,” you said and then poked him in the belly. He jerked away immediately and lightly smacked your hand away.

“this is too weird,” he mumbled, and then ran a hand through his hair and flinched at the feeling. “how do you have hair?”

You shrugged, and then turned your flashlight back on, on your phone. “Stop asking questions and go fix the machine. Or…get the power working. I want to take a shower, and I’d rather not do that in the dark.”

He nodded before getting distracted by something. Then he shivered and shook his head.

“What?” you asked, “another weird new sensation?”

A hesitant nod.

“What?” you prodded, poking his belly again, and he flinched away. Giving you a deadpan look.

“nothin’, don’t worry about it,” he waved a hand before yanking on his hoodie and heading back into the basement. You picked up his shirt, because he wasn’t going to pick it up later, and headed up the stairs. There wasn’t much to do in the dark, and it was getting late…so if he didn’t get the power up and running, you’d just have to wake up extra early in the morning to shower.

So, you tossed his shirt into the hamper and then dropped down on the bed.

After an hour of playing games on your phone, you were down to 5% battery, and so you lit some candles and then got changed for bed for the night, and then picked up the book you had been slowly reading through.

Another hour passed before the bedroom door opened, Sans walked in still very human. He flicked on the bedroom light, and you squinted.

“Little warning next time,” you grunted before closing your book, “So? Is my bonefriend going to be just a boyfriend from now on?”

He sighed, “the machine has to do a reset. apparently whatever happened not only blew the house fuses, but it also blew the backup generator that the machine had been plugged into. shut it down completely. it’ll be ready tomorrow.”

You nodded, “So, did you learn your lesson about fiddling with the machine too much?”

Sans gave you a blank look before unzipping his hood and hanging it on the doorknob. “Nah, just taught me what _not_ to do.”

You snorted, “that’s relieving.”

Without replying, he walked over to the dresser and pulled out his own pyjamas. He held up a shirt for a moment before shoving it back inside the drawer and decided to go just pants tonight. You blew out the candle on your bedside table and returned to watching him. When he pulled off his baseball shorts, you immediately flushed and looked away sharply.

“oh. right. that’s a thing,” Sans said with a slightly embarrassed chuckle. You didn’t look at him until he turned off the light and then crawled into bed beside you.

For a moment, neither of you moved, and then he shifted closer to you. When you felt skin brush against your arm, you jumped in surprise, and he froze. Neither of you said anything as he pulled his hand away.

“Sorry,” you mumbled, feeling the sadness ebbing off of your boyfriend. “It’s weird?”

“i know,” he mumbled into his pillow, “jus’ wanna cuddle.”

Your heart clenched immediately, and you scooted over to him and wrapped your arm around him, ignoring the weird sensation of hugging a fleshy being instead of a bony one. You pressed a kiss into his hair, again ignoring the surprising sensation of hair. “I love you,” you muttered against the side of his head, “and because of that, I’m finding this weird. It’s like…you’re still _you, _but when you touch me, my mind isn’t processing it as you?”

He nodded, and then slowly turned onto his side and cuddled against you. “love ya too.”

“If you’re stuck this way…I’ll get used to it. I got used to your bony form, didn’t I?” you said softly, “because I love you.”

He nodded against you, and you gently ran your fingers through his hair. The two of you didn’t say anything for a while, just held each other under the safety of the covers. Then, slowly, Sans lifted his head from where he had tucked it against your neck and looked up at you.

“would it be weird…if i kissed you?” he asked, voice so soft if the room hadn’t been dead quiet already you probably wouldn’t hear it.

“Yeah,” you admitted, and before his face could fall with disappointment, you pressed your lips to his. He melted against you, hand stroking your side as you slowly deepened the kiss. You weren’t about to let your boyfriend go to sleep upset with himself because of you. He cut the kiss off way sooner than normal, and you realized as he panted that he wasn’t used to needing to breathe. You grinned at that, and couldn’t help but tease him, “normally you’re the one leaving me breathless.”

He simply grinned, “_air_ you sure? cus i’m normally always breathless.”

You couldn’t help but laugh. He was making jokes again, so he wasn’t as upset as before. You peppered his face with kisses making him snort out a laugh. “I love you,” you said once again, kissing his nose. “As weird as your fleshiness is.”

“says the normally fleshy one,” his fingers dug into your side slightly, not painfully but just enough to remind you that you were indeed also a fleshy individual.

“You like my fleshiness,” you teased and pressed against him a bit more firmly. He blushed at that, and you grinned triumphantly. His hand trailed down your side slightly, and you caught his wrist before it could get too far. “Uh-uh, bud, none of that. You said cuddle, so that’s what we’re doing.”

He pouted, actually pouted, and you couldn’t help but laugh.

“Not until we know how real this body is,” you said, kissing the corner of his mouth, “because human bodies aren’t like monsters after all.”

He sighed and cuddled back up against your neck, pressing a kiss to your collar bone. “fine,” he grumped, “just a bigger motivation to fix the machine.”

“I’ll love you no matter what, but making love? We’ll have to work up to that with this body,” you admitted, and he huffed against your throat.

“love you,” he mumbled.

You smiled and pulled the covers further up his form.

You weren’t lying. This was Sans, and you’d love him regardless of how he looked. Your gross gremlin of a boyfriend…but you can’t say you wouldn’t miss his skeleton form. It had grown on you too much over the past three years. You kissed the top of his head.

You just hoped that he could switch back before tomorrow or anime night would turn into ‘LET’S DISCUSS KEEPING SECRETS FROM US, SANS’ night, which happened a lot more than you would’ve thought since Sans had moved in with you.

But, that was a problem for future you. Right now? You were warm, cuddled, and falling asleep.

Future, you could also deal with waking up in the fleshy arms of a man and not the bony arms you were used to.

Again, a future you problem.


	6. PJs (US!Papyrus/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Little bit of a warning! This one is one of the *MATURE* ones. (Scandalous) Again, it's not explicit but there is some sexual content.

For years, your pyjama’s consisted of either a) a tee or tank top and your underwear or b) no shirt and sleep pants or shorts. It was just the most comfortable, and honestly, the less clothes you had to put back onto your body at the end of a long day, the better. That wasn’t to say that you didn’t look at some of the cute matching sets that you saw when you went shopping, but you just couldn’t be bothered with the whole matching set dealio.

Paps was the same way. Though, normally he wore the tank top that you had a sneaking suspicion he only took off to get washed, and a pair of sleep pants. The latter was an addition that you had bought him for Gyftmas one year. You’d bought him and his brother matching sleep pants and they absolutely loved them. That became a regular occurrence for Gyftmas, and they had three matching sets of sleep pants now.

Though, you had joked to Paps the other day that you should start buying three pairs of matching sleep pants so you weren’t left out.

Still…Gyftmas wasn’t for another two months, and even if you sometimes started shopping early for it, you weren’t out with Paps to shop for Gyftmas gifts.

You had ripped the ass seam of your last pair of jeans the other day crouching down to help Sans with a project he was working on. Along with being mortified because of course that was the day you had been wearing the underwear Papyrus had dubbed your ‘I want to bone’ underwear (because they had skeleton hands saucily placed) because it was laundry day, you were also upset because jeans were expensive and you really didn’t want to have to go buy another pair. You hated trying on pants, you hated shopping for yourself, you hated the whole experience. Yet here you were, wishing you were _literally_ anywhere else.

“honey,” Paps interrupted your internal lamenting about the loss of your jeans. You stopped angrily perusing the jeans to glance over at your boyfriend. You hadn’t even realized he had left your side, and probably wouldn’t have guessed that he had except for the fact that he was holding up a pair of sleep pants. A snort left your nose at the sight of a bunch of tiny skeletons on skateboards, dabbing, and one eating a taco litter the pants.

“Holy shit, those are amazing,” you said reaching towards them and plucking the leg of the pant up to examine it more closely. “Oh! They’re soft as hell…”

“sans will love and hate them,” Paps said, eyes twinkling.

You giggled at that, “I can’t believe you managed to find pants like these. How much are they?”

“sleep pants are on sale,” he said, but pulled out the tag, “$8.99 and a buy two get two free sale.”

You hummed, “After I get some jeans I’ll swing by and pick out some too. I could always use some new ones.”

Paps nodded, and then turned slightly and pulled out a pair of jeans from the rack and handed them to you. You accepted them without comment after seeing that they were indeed your size, and returned to your own perusal as he, as you guessed, disappeared back to the sleep section. After a frustrating twenty minutes of trying on your hoard of jeans, you grumbled as you realized the ones Papyrus grabbed for you were the only ones that fit right. How the hell he managed that, you'd never know...he was more observant to your needs than you were. Speaking of, you glanced around the store but you were unable to find Papyrus from a cursory glance, so you simply strode over to the sleep section.

It took much less time to find four pairs of pyjama pants that you liked and would fit you.

It took a bit more time to track down Papyrus, and by the time you did you had found a pair of thigh-high skeleton socks and a BOGO sale on tank tops. He was examining a burnt orange zip-up sweater and comparing the colour to his current hoodie.

“They don’t match,” you pointed out as you sidled up next to him. He huffed and smiled down at you.

“yeah, can’t ruin my image,” he teased before holding up his loot. “ya ready, honey?”

“Yup! We can get out of here! Want to pick up Muffet’s on the way home?” you asked, nudging him towards the tills. You didn’t need to ask twice. After the two of you paid for your goods, and he sneakily took your bag from the sales associate as you tucked your card into your wallet, you were on your way to your car.

A quick stop at Muffet’s, and the two of you got home just as Sans returned from his daily training with Alphys. Sans and Paps did their common chatter about his training as you pulled off your jacket and put your shoes away. Afterwards, you stayed downstairs only long enough to see Paps pull out the pants to show Sans, who sighed dramatically before grinning at his brother. The exasperated older brother who loved his younger dorky brother. You headed upstairs with your own bag after promising Sans you’d be right back down.

You put your new jeans aside and opened up your pyjama drawer to begin to rearrange them for your newest pairs of sleep pants. Fabric entered your peripherals. Familiar fabric with skeletons on it. You turned your head and followed it up to Papyrus’ face as he grinned down at you. Was he asking you to put his pants away for him? Nope. You refused to do his laundry or put it away for him because you hated laundry just as much as he did. You stood up and waved towards the drawers.

The smile didn’t waver as he held it out towards you again.

You frowned slightly, “What?”

“put em on, we’re going to be watching Napstatons Halloween special,” Papyrus said, gently pressing the fabric against your chest. You glanced down and noticed he was wearing a pair himself. His grin widened when you returned your gaze to his face. “sans’ gotta pair too. you said you wanted to match.”

You felt an overwhelming surge of affection and you accepted the pants from him. As he turned to go, you grabbed the strings of his hoodie and tugged. Without waiting for him to fully turn, you leant up and pressed a kiss to his jaw. Then another. And another. Trailing your way until you could finally press a kiss against his teeth. He laughed his dorky little ‘nyehehe’ laugh and nuzzled back against your lips. "I love you," you told him happily, turning around to take off the tag from the pants. You wasted no time stripping off the sweats you had chosen to wear to the store and turned to toss them into the hamper. Then, as you bent over slightly to step into the new pants, Papyrus patted your butt.

“nice underwear,” he teased, and you paused to turn and look up at him. They were just your normal everyday underwear, not even your ‘I want to bone’ ones. His hand tugged at the waistband and you gave him a heated look.

“I thought we were going to watch Napstaton with your brother?” you reminded him, returning your focus to pulling the sleep pants up your legs.

“you know, you’re almost at a complete set of skeleton themed clothing,” he pointed out, his hand sneaking under your shirt as you straightened and adjusted the strings of the waistband. You tried your hardest to ignore it as his other hand slipped under your waistband and found its way to the apex of your thighs. A soft gasp left your mouth despite your best attempts. “you just need socks.”

One of your hands grabbed at his wrist, stilling it, as the other pulled open your sock drawer. You plucked the new thigh highs and held them up. He froze as you unfurled them to their full length, and then his head dropped against your shoulder. He groaned against your neck, “i was just teasing you…but honey, you really know how to get a skeleton going.”

You laughed and then pulled at his wrist until he removed both arms from your person and you turned around. “Later,” you promised, kissing his teeth, “you dork, now let’s go be absolutely normal people to weird out your brother.”

He snorted, “we couldn’t be normal if we tried.”


	7. Flowers (UF!Papyrus/Reader)

To say your past dating experience had sucked was fairly accurate. The longest relationship you had had was two years, but even then it was off and on again. You always felt like you were giving so much to the relationships you were in but receiving only the bare minimum in return. Or they didn’t have the same view on PDA as you. Or they would brush off your emotional down days but then be upset when you couldn’t be there 100% with them on their emotional down days, which you always tried to.

At this point, you were fairly certain that you just _weren’t_ going to find anyone who was as committed to you as you were to them.

Yet, even though you were fairly content to spend the rest of your days alone with only your cat to keep you company, all your family was not. _Every_ time you saw distant relatives they’d ask you ‘oh! Are you dating anyone? When are you going to settle down?’ and your parents would complement your sister loudly about her moving in with her boyfriend, all the while shooting glances your way. As if not being in a relationship at your age meant you were going to be a spinster. Though, you were completely fine with being a spinster. Live your days free of commitment able to do whatever you want whenever you want without having to consider anyone else's opinion on the matter.

The sad thing was…you were lonely. Your friends were getting a move on in their life, settling down and finding someone to spend the rest of their days with. You went to weddings, alone and if you were a drinker you would’ve drunk away that feeling of loneliness. There was nothing worse than being at a wedding alone while fending off drunken advances of men who were also as lonely as you were.

So, you had downloaded one of those stupid relationship apps…and subsequently uninstalled it a week later when you got more invitations for sex than anyone truly looking for a partner. Plus, there was nothing less sexy than getting an unrequested dick pic.

It was just another reconfirmation that you wouldn’t find a relationship and just reaffirmed that your efforts were better spent elsewhere.

Work, friends, family, and your sweet kitten.

You figured out quickly that you didn’t need someone else to make your life feel complete. It was hard work but you slowly found ways to make yourself feel better. Hobbies to fill empty time. Shows and activities you enjoyed. Of course, that didn’t mean you always filled every moment of your time. You enjoyed having a hot beverage while sitting on your balcony and just watching the world. Time to just be in the present.

If any of that didn’t help lift your spirits? There was one thing that always did.

Buying yourself a bouquet of flowers to fresh up your apartment.

There was a store near your work that you went to nearly weekly now to pick up a new bouquet, and the owner had even begun to give you a discount just because of the sheer amount of them that you bought. They said the only people who bought flowers more frequently were funeral homes or wedding planners. You had gotten a touch embarrassed at that but it was a pleasing embarrassment.

However, a few months after your new routine, the owner had informed you that you had competition. Someone else was buying as many flowers as you were. When you jokingly said you’d have to fight for the position of the best customer, the owner had teasingly pointed out the skeleton in the store and said ‘have fun fighting him.’

Monsters weren’t a new thing, they’d been out of the Underground for years, so your gaze stopped lingering on them. So, it was honestly not the biggest surprise to you that you hadn’t _really_ taken notice of him. However, now? You _really_ took notice of him. After all, he _was_ the Captain of the Royal Guard. You had seen his photos while scrolling through the news, and he was always present along with Co-Captain Undyne during King Asgore’s speeches.

He was tall and as intimidating as you had thought he would be in real life. The only difference between the photos and newscast versions of him and the monster standing across the small flower shop was that he was slightly less military looking. Though no less well dressed. As if he felt your eyes on him, he glanced over at you and scowled. A blush darkened your cheeks immediately, you hadn’t meant to stare and turned back to the owner.

“I was expecting more ‘old lady’ and not ‘military man’ when I said I’d fight,” you mumbled to the immediate delight of the florist who cackled at you before ringing up your bouquet. You turned and nearly bumped directly into the skeleton monster, who scowled again. You mumbled an apology, face blushing madly, and you darted away before he could even say a word.

A small part of you had hoped that that was a one-time thing, but when you went in the next time your bouquet had started to wilt, you had spotted him once again. You kept to yourself, but you couldn’t help but steal small glimpses of him. He was impressive, after all. It kept on this way as spring burst into summer. Every couple weeks or so you’d see him in the flower shop and you’d shyly keep to yourself, but then one visit you broke the non-existent script. You were examining some bouquets when he stepped up beside you and thumbed one of the flowers. Neither of you spoke for a while, just silently stood next to each other until you hesitantly pointed at a bouquet in front of him and shyly asked him if he’d pass you it.

It took him a moment as if he was stunned that you had asked him or even spoken to him before he lifted it up and handed it over delicately. You had smiled warmly, ignoring the blush on your cheeks, and thanked him before turning and hurrying away.

That begun to happen more and more often. You’d be examining some flowers and he’d stand beside you and you’d point out a bouquet you wanted and he’d pass it to you. No more words than ‘excuse me, but can you pass me that bouquet?’, ‘OF COURSE,’ and ‘thank you very much!’ were exchanged.

Then, in early fall, it was his turn to break the script. He stepped up beside you, introduced himself (properly, and loudly you might add) and you shyly introduced yourself. You weren’t a normally extroverted person, and so you were nervous talking to someone you didn’t know at all. However, he on the other hand seemed to have no qualms about it. He was quite abrasive in his wording, but you quickly discovered that if you didn’t take the words at face value he wasn’t being as big of a dick as you had originally thought. Eventually, you figured out that he bought flowers for his brother’s room to try to mask the stench as the artificial sprays did nothing and smelt awful to him. You had giggled at that and had told him that he was a good brother giving his brother flowers, to which he had blushed and declared that he ‘WASN’T GIVING THEM TO THAT IDIOT. IT IS SOLELY FOR MY BENEFIT!’

He had then asked you about why you bought flowers so frequently and you had shyly admitted that it made you happy every time you saw the bouquet when you got home and smelt the fresh flowers. His face had softened ever so slightly before the look disappeared and he asked why your significant other didn’t buy you bouquets if they made you so happy. Your face had twisted into an awkward grimace and you had told him, without looking at him, that someone would have to put up with you for longer than three months. Then, feeling overly embarrassed by the turn of the conversation, you had chosen a bouquet at random and then said goodbye and practically fled the store.

Snow fell in a big clump before fall had even begun, the roads became so bad that there were travel advisory warnings against travelling for nearly a week. That week, you weren’t able to replace the flowers by your door as they wilted, and you found your mood souring. Your work had phoned you to tell you not to bother risking your life to come into work until the travel advisory was cleared. So, you were stuck inside for a week, and plus you missed your conversations with Papyrus.

You hadn’t been able to gather enough courage to ask him for his number, and he hadn’t asked you for yours either. So, you pouted.

Then, because you had missed a week of work, you couldn’t justify buying a bouquet of flowers until your next paycheck so you had to wait two additional weeks before you budgeted and found out that you could splurge on bouquets again. It was a happy, happy time when you got off work and went straight to the flower shop.

You were crouched in front of two Halloween themed flower baskets debating between them when two black boots came into view. You glanced up and smiled up at Papyrus, “hey!”

He didn’t say anything at first, just held out a single red rose towards you. You tilted your head slightly, and you felt your eyebrows drawing together in confusion. Your eyes flicked back up to his and he looked…nervous, but in a way that he was clearly trying to mask it.

“IT IS NORMALLY VERY HARD TO CAPTURE MY INTEREST, HUMAN, BUT YOU HAVE SOMEHOW DONE SO,” he announced, quite loudly and you were glad that it was only you two and the owner in the store at the moment. You flushed brightly and glanced down at the rose to avoid looking him in the eyes.

“I WOULD LIKE TO TAKE YOU ON A DATE.”

Your heart skipped a beat and you looked up at him in surprise. “What?” you asked, dumbly.

“A DATE,” he repeated, a bit slower. You could see the nervousness increasing as he presented the rose to you again.

“A-A date?” you stammered out, looking back at the rose. Then you glanced up at him shyly, “why me?”

That seemed to give him pause, as he stared down at you in almost shock. He cleared his throat (how did he do that when he didn’t have one?) and straightened up slightly. “YOU MEET ALL MY STANDARDS. YOU CAN HOLD A CONVERSATION, YOU ARE WITTY, FUNNY, YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL, AND YOU HAVE MENTIONED YOUR LOVE OF LASAGNA.”

You honestly had to bite back a giggle at the last point, before you slowly got to your feet (wincing only slightly at your stiff knees from crouching for so long), and hesitantly reached out to take the rose. Your face was darkly blushing, you could feel the warmth in your cheeks as you replayed his words in your head. (He thought you were beautiful!!) Your fingers brushed against his bones, and you saw the soft red-tinted blush on his cheeks.

“I…I’d like that,” you said softly.

“OF COURSE!” he said, clearly flustered that you accepted but trying hard to deny it. “ARE YOU BUSY TONIGHT?”

You glanced up at him in surprise, “Tonight?”

He nodded and looked down at you expectantly. Normally the idea of doing anything last minute was nerve-wracking, but…with him? You nodded, “I don’t have anything else planned.”

“EXCELLENT!”

You had spent years thinking you’d never find anyone who would be as involved in the relationship as you were…but you had finally found someone to prove you wrong. Papyrus was as devoted to you as you were to him, and the two of you had the same ideas of PDA. You didn’t like anything more than hand-holding, the occasional smooch or hug, and neither did he. Yet, the moment you two were alone you were cuddle fiends which surprised you.

However, what surprised you the most was four months after you two had started dating, he brought you a bouquet out of the blue. When you had asked what's the occasion, he merely smiled, tucked a piece of your hair behind you ears and said, “I HAD NEVER SEEN YOU AS SAD AS WHEN I ASKED WHY YOUR DATEMATE DIDN’T BUY YOU FLOWERS. YOUR PAST LOVERS WERE UNWORTHY OF EACH MINUTE THEY SPENT WITH YOU IF THEY COULD NOT SEE HOW LUCKY THEY WERE THAT YOU EVEN GAVE THEM A SECOND.”

It was so unexpected you had blushed and had to hide your face as he cackled and teased you for being so easily flustered. To which you had looked up at him, with the softest look you could muster and told him you loved him.

After all…

Two blushing idiots were better than one.


	8. Comfort (UF!Sans/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> **Warning:** Dissociation occurs in this chapter, as well as mentions of panic attacks.
> 
> There is also talk about sex, and the reader has feminine pronouns and breasts in this one.

It wasn’t as often anymore that your boyfriend would have a bad day. When the two of you first started dating, he had tried to pretend that they never happened, and at first, you had believed him. There was a huge part of him that refused to admit any weakness and for a while, you had been blind to his anxiety, his self-doubt, his off days…and his fear.

It had happened slowly, and each time he allowed you to peel away a layer of his protective casing, you felt your heart ache for him. Sans was worried each time that the next thing you figured out about him was going to be the final straw that made you leave him, and each time you proved him wrong. You’d kiss the hands he scowled at, you’d smooch his golden tooth, you’d cuddle him tight after a nightmare, you’d tell him you loved him (all of him) as often as you could, and you were there for him during his anxiety attacks or dissociations.

They didn’t happen often, but sometimes when they hit there was no telling when or where.

If they happened around Papyrus, the two of you would get him away from others in a way that didn’t point any fingers towards Sans’ panic. Or that he wasn’t fully there.

If they happened when it was just you, sometimes it was harder to get Sans moving. He listened to Papyrus without hesitation, after years of doing so it came as second nature to him. However, you weren’t so lucky, and you hated bossing people around normally. You didn’t like to use the type of voice that Sans _would _listen to when he was so in his head that he barely recognized your presence. You would if you had to...but it always left an ill feeling in your stomach, even if he told you that it was okay. 

When you woke up to see Sans sitting staring blankly at the end of the bed, it wasn’t so surprising but it made your heart clench. Had he had a nightmare and you hadn’t noticed? They were normally violent causing him to thrash about or sometimes he’d wake to shout ‘NO!’. You didn't do anything to startle him, because you didn't want to risk a worse reaction in him. Instead, you slowly, and very carefully, sat up and stretched out your tired muscles before following his gaze. He was staring at your foot that had been uncovered during the night. When wiggling your toes didn't get any reaction from him you knew that he was dissociating.

You checked your phone. Early enough that the two of you could go back to bed.

“Good morning,” you said softly, wiggling your toes. It was a bit weird to sit like this, but you didn’t want to take away what he was staring at. It could bring him out of it, but you found that more often he could enter a panic state instead especially if he didn’t _truly_ notice the object disappearing. Something about different timelines that you couldn’t _really_ wrap your head around.

“I’m going to hold your hand, okay?” you said, getting no response you shifted your hand slowly into his view. His eyes flicked down to it momentarily before returning back to your foot. “Is that okay, Sans?”

No response still.

You wiggled your fingers and his eye lights dropped down to the hand and you saw them slowly shift and focus on them instead. You lowered your hand to his and intertwined your fingers together. He continued to stare at them, and you sighed softly. “Love you,” you murmured before launching into a conversation about what you had planned for the day. All one-sided of course. He was still not focused on you.

“Papyrus is coming over later,” you added, peering over at him, “He’s going to cut all my hair off, and then we’re going to make you a wig out of it.”

There was the tiniest of head tilts.

Unexpected turn of conversation with a very unexpected set of circumstances. It would be confusing, but not so confusing that it would cause panic. Just..werid.

Processing.

Then he looked over at you, his teeth pulled down in a frown.

“what the hell?” Sans grumped, searching your face for a minute. “i don’t want yer hair as a wig.”

“Yeah?” you said with a smile, leaning against him and pressing a kiss against his teeth, “Come on, you’d look dashing with a full head of hair.”

Another face, “yer not serious.”

“No,” you said shaking your head, “Paps is coming over but he wants to make dinner for us. Less glass and vinegar as per my instructions.”

Sans let out a long relieved sigh, and then rubbed at his face. “what time is it.”

“Five,” you hummed, squeezing his hand, “I’m still sleepy, wanna cuddle? You can totally hold my boob.”

He snorted, “when do I not?”

You grinned, then laid back down and held out your arms towards him. There was a second that he just stared at you blankly that you thought he was entering back into his dissociative state, but then his face softened and he adjusted the blanket. With a heavy flop, he landed on you knocking the air out of your lungs, and what little did remain you huffed out some giggles as he wriggled to find a comfy position. Then with as much dramatics as he could, he made a show about placing his hand over your boob and then giving it a squeeze.

“Honk,” you giggled, and he snorted.

“yer a fuckin’ dork,” he grumbled, “most girls’d moan, but no. my datemate honks when i grab her tit.”

You laughed and kissed his head, “don’t act like you weren’t aware of what you were getting into when you started dating me!”

Sans looked up at you, with that soft look that made your chest fill with affection, “yeah…and i’m the luckiest sunvabitch out there.”

“Nah!” you said kissing his forehead, “I am, with a datemate like you.”

His mood seemed to drop, and you cursed adding ‘like you’.

“yeah…like me,” he grumbled and you felt his hand shift from your boob and onto the bed. You immediately picked it back up and placed it back where it belonged.

“Yeah, like you. My sweet, cute, gruff, grumpy datemate,” you said smooching his skull again, “and I’ll fight anyone who says otherwise.”

“yer gunna fight me?” Sans asked, looking up at him and you narrowed your eyes.

“I could take you,” you said, knowing fully well that you could not, in fact, take on your boyfriend in a true fight. He’d kick your ass in two seconds, if you didn’t trip over your feet yourself. He chuckled, but you more felt it than heard it. “What! I totally could! Two seconds! Look at these guns!” you fake flexed, and he continued to laugh, “I am so tough!”

“hehehe…yeah,” Sans looked up at you, “as tough as a fuckin’ pillow.”

You fake gasped, “Take that back! I’m tougher than a pillow!”

“alright, alright, don’t get yer panties in a twist, yer as tough as yer stupid memory foam pillow,” he teased and you placed a hand over your face as you snorted.

“Oh no, my feelings. They’re crushed!” you bemoaned and then hooked a leg around his hips and flipped him onto his back before he could realize what you were doing. He blinked up at your in surprise before his hands went to your thighs, and ran them up to your hips. “See! Two seconds!” you wiggled two fingers at him, “now for my prize!”

You smooched his tooth. Then for good measure, you peppered kisses over his entire face before you straightened with a triumphant smile on your face.

“hehehehe…seems more like i won,” he said, leaning up and kneading his fingers into your ass. You kissed his nasal ridge.

“Nope, because I’m tired,” you said pressing your forehead into his, “and it’s too early for you as well. Whatever would Papyrus think if I told him you woke up at…5:30 AM! To do adult things!”

“he’d point out that ‘SEX DOESN’T CONSTITUTE AS ‘ADULT THINGS’ AS YOU ARE IMPLYING IT’,” Sans said, mocking his brother poorly but getting the dry sense of retort down pat. You giggled against his lips, and felt his grin widen.

“Come on, we can get freaky later. I want cuddles without it ending up going anywhere,” you said before kissing his teeth gently. He grumbled but you knew he wasn’t actually put off that you didn’t want to have sex, and pulled you down flush against his chest. You beamed down at him, “I love you, so much, you big dork.”

Another grumble, but his face dusted with a red blush. “love you too, sweetheart…love ya too.”

With a soft smile, you shifted so you were cuddled against his side, sliding your hand under his tank top to gently grasp one of his ribs. His own hand slipped under your sleep shorts and gently rubbed circles into your butt. His other hand rested over top of yours and he shifted to place his teeth against your forehead.

“thanks…by the way,” he mumbled quietly. You simply nodded.

“Anytime, you beautiful bitch.”

He snorted, “that’s my line.”

“You’ve never called me a bitch,” you pointed out, closing your eyes and nuzzling against his teeth. “You respect me too much.”

“yer saying you don’t respect me?” he teased, and you gave him a weak glare.

“I do, now hush, I’m trying to cuddle my sweet, sweet datemate and hope it conveys how much he means to me,” you huffed, and he chuckled.

“love ya too.”


	9. Coffee (SF!Papyrus/Reader)

Coffee. When you were younger you hated the taste of it. No matter what you did it was always too bitter and disgusting. You preferred to drink tea instead if you needed a boost of caffeine.

That was years ago, and now you normally blearily shuffled your way out of your room and make yourself a cup of coffee still half asleep. You’d knock it back as you made yourself breakfast, and then on particularly bad days you’d have a second one afterwards as you either got ready for the day or sat on the couch and watched youtube videos or chat with your boyfriend if he was up.

You weren’t exactly a grump in the morning, but your responses were limited until at least thirty minutes after you woke up. Starting with small grunts or huffs in responses to single words to small sentences, to an actual adult conversation.

Those were all normal days.

Today…was not a normal day.

You woke up **grumpy**.

After having an extremely rough time falling asleep, Rus had come to bed late. You _knew_ it really wasn’t his fault you woke up, he always tried to be quiet and he barely weighed anything so the bed didn’t dip down, but your body had reacted to the soft shift of the blanket of all things. Then it had taken you forever once again to fall back asleep and you kept waking up. Back when you weren’t sharing a bed with someone, you would’ve flipped and flopped all over the bed before pulling out your phone to distract yourself from how angry you were that you weren’t falling asleep. Now? You knew that Rus had just as much trouble falling and staying asleep as you were having, so you only changed positions when you absolutely had to and only scrolled through your phone once, and that was under the blankets with the screen brightness all the way down.

In total, you had gotten probably less than three hours of sleep.

So, when you woke up suddenly to the feeling of Rus cuddling against your back you had jerked away and snarled something probably unkind (which you immediately regretted but you were too grumpy and exhausted to apologize right away) before thumping your pillow over your head.

You could feel him go stock-still behind you before he gently touched your hip and you smacked his hand away.

Another beat of stillness before he got out of bed and you were left alone. You took advantage immediately of being the only one in the bed to immediately tuck the blanket around you and roll into a burrito and plant your face directly into Rus’ pillow and grumble.

Fuck this.

Fuck that.

Fuck shitty sleepless nights!

You must’ve fallen asleep because you woke to the smell of coffee, and you slowly uncurled yourself from your burrito to see a large cup on the nightstand. You rubbed your sleep crusted eyes and then reached over and took a sip. You rested your mouth on the rim of the cup and exhaustedly stared at your lap. Each blink felt like it took ten seconds and when you finally took another sip you swore you had almost fallen asleep half sitting up in bed.

Eventually, you were halfway done your cup of coffee and you were starting to feel a smidge less grumpy.

It was almost as if Rus could sense that you were feeling even the slightest bit better, as he poked his head into the bedroom.

“mornin’ darlin’, uh…i made you breakfast too…if you’re hungry?” he said, taking a small step into the room. A noise that might’ve resembled a ‘yeah’ but it came out more like a ‘yng’ before sipping more of your coffee. Then you placed your cup onto the nightstand and attempted to untangle yourself from the blankets and stand up, but as luck would have it…that was an insanely bad move.

You hit the floor with a thud.

Not a peep left you as you stared blankly at the dresser.

Rus swallowed a snort, “uh- pf…you…you okay there darlin’?”

“Leave me to die,” you said, or you think you got that feeling across at least. It probably came out as more of a ‘lea’metadie’ or something equally as garbled. Rus let out the softest laugh and walked over to stand beside you. A flash of irritation bolted through you and you began to wriggle attempting to free yourself, and he wisely didn’t laugh, just crouched down and took pity on you.

“what’s wrong?” he asked quietly, half-tossing the blanket onto the bed as you slowly got to your feet. “this ain’t like ya.”

You couldn’t fight the yawn that erupted out of your mouth, and you flailed your hand in the vague direction of your cup until you felt it. “Tired,” you grumped.

A look, “uh…you’re normally…not…like this?”

“Grumpy,” you added, and then downed the rest of your coffee while using your other hand to grab the comfort and lazily attempting to wrap it around your shoulders. It was cold. You didn’t want to be cold. You didn’t want to be awake. You didn’t want any of this. Why was your life so hard right now?

“that’s…” Rus sighed giving you a look, “com’on i made your favourite.”

That appeased your mood slightly, so you turned and shuffled out of the bedroom. Rus adjusted the blanket around your shoulders before you could trip on the end of it. You still had to apologize for snapping at him earlier, especially when he just wanted to cuddle as it was rare that you were still in bed when he woke up. Later when you can actually articulate your words, you’d make it up to him.

It smelt delicious in the apartment and you started heading to grab a plate but Rus steered you towards the table. “i got this, darlin’.”

“Okay,” you mumbled, not bothering to fight it, and sat down and rubbing at your eyes roughly. God you were so fucking exhausted, but if you kept on sleeping now you’d never get to bed on time, and you had work tomorrow. At least having today off was a small victory.

You turned your gaze towards the window and gazed down across the street at the river. Mist rose from the water as it flowed on by creating a fog that stretched out as far as you could see. You could see frost clinging to the orange and yellow leaves that still remained. People hurried along the sidewalk, covered with scarves, hats, gloves, and jackets. Though, there were still some people who walked along as if it was a bright summer day. You saw one or two guys wearing shorts.

The soft clink of the plate sat down stopped you before you could fully zone out, and you looked down just in time to see the second cup of coffee being placed beside the plate. As you glanced up, Rus bent down and pressed his teeth against your forehead. You exhaled softly and nuzzled into the kiss which made him smile a bit wider.

It took you forever to eat as you kept zoning out whenever your gaze would return to the window, but Rus sat with you throughout it all even when he finished his breakfast and started guzzling down his BBQ sauce. Honey Hickory.

Once you were done eating, you felt a bit more human and less grumpy. You would probably take a nap later in the day, and there was the chance that you would continue to be irritable throughout the day, but you felt better with a full stomach.

“I love you,” you mumbled rubbing your face with one hand, “m’sorry.”

“nyehehe…love ya too…but uh…i-is anything wrong? you wanna talk bout it? d….did i do something?” he said, his voice going from amused confidence to hesitant timidness. The flash of irritation you felt was purely for yourself and you immediately shook your head.

“No, no, no. I just…got like three hours of sleep,” you explained shoving the comfort off your shoulders and onto the chair before standing up. “Kept waking up.”

“oh…”

Rus didn’t say anything more as you cleared the table and you thanked god that the apartment came with a dishwasher because you really, _really_ hated doing dishes. As you closed the door, bony arms wrapped around your waist before a skull pressed against the juncture of your neck and shoulder. A soft nip. “sorry for waking you,” he murmured against your skin, “you can go back to bed.”

You reached up to stroke his skull. “If I go back now I’ll just be awake all night. Besides, I’d rather be with my favourite skellie,” you murmured.

“hehehe, good thing I’m-“

“Is your brother off today?” you interrupted, and he snorted releasing you instantly. You let out a soft laugh and turned around, wrapping your arms around his ribs and pulling him back to you. “I’m teasing.”

“better be. sans doesn’t need a bigger ego,” he replied, but there was a fondness to the words that had you smiling. He bumped his forehead against yours and nuzzled you softly. You leaned against him, murmuring thank yous and love yous into his collarbone. There was the soft jolt of a teleport before he was giving you a gentle nudge. You peeled your eyes open lazily and saw that he’d teleported you a whole seven feet to the living room couch.

“Thought you’d take me back to bed,” you teased, releasing him and dropping down onto the couch. He chuckled and ran his fingertips over your cheek.

“mmmm…your morning sex opportunity is gone, darlin’. afternoon couch sex is still on the table, but ya gotta wait til after lunch, wanna ‘nother coffee?” he asked, to which you nodded. You weren’t in the mood to bone your bonefriend, at least yet. You’d have one more coffee and then wait a while to see if the three cups kicked in or if you’d need to try to convince Rus to zip over to Sans’ and steal his espresso machine. The two of you might be able to hide it behind Rus’ stash of BBQ sauce…

Rus teleported back over and placed your mug on the coffee table before nudging you. You reluctantly sat up, but the moment Rus had settled into the couch and was opening up Netflix, you were fluffing pillows and tucking them against his side before cuddling up against him. A soft chuckle left him before his fingers were threading through your hair, and the warmth of your coffee was chasing away the chill of the morning.

You practically melted against him and felt all the frustration and irritation of not being able to sleep seeped out of you. Slowly your eyelids drooped as you cuddled your boyfriend, maybe you should’ve let him cuddle you this morning…might’ve gotten some sleep in.

Your coffee was soon long gone, the mug abandoned on the table, and Rus was lying beneath you (with plenty of pillows to pad his ribs and build up his non-existent stomach), his fingers gently running over your scalp and idly playing with your hair. Your fingers were running slowly up and down his humerus as you vaguely paid attention to the show that he had chosen.

His teeth pressed against the top of your head, and you stretched slightly before peering up at him. “love you,” he murmured, fingers trailing down your neck to rest on your upper back. “you grump.”

That got a snort out of you and you nuzzled his jaw before placing a kiss there as well. “I love you as much as I love my morning coffee,” you teased.

“damn, that means we’re in for the long haul,” he joked back but you could feel a bit of tension to his form.

“Course we are,” you replied easily, nestling back against him and you felt the tension flow out of him. You smiled softly. “Who else is gunna bring me coffee after I snap at them for wanting to cuddle? No one I know, you’re special...and I'm really sorry by the way...and I'm totally going to make it up to you because I don't ever wanna make you feel bad for wanting to just cuddle me.”

He snorted at that, “s'no problem...besides i’d bring you coffee every morning if you didn’t wake up so damn early.”

“It is, and you wake up at 12 most days,” you shot back, but he didn’t bother trying to deny that. Instead, he giggled and returned to playing with your hair. Another episode went passed, and you shifted your head to tuck it under Rus’ chin better. You sighed contently and allowed your eyes to droop shut to the feeling of his fingers gently scratching your scalp and the quiet chatter of the television. He'd been eyeing a new set of pastels, and you were dying to try a new recipe you'd know he'd absolutely love. You were probably going to keep apologizing for a while for being so gruff.

Only Rus could take an awful fucking start to a day and flip it on its head, and you loved him for it. 


	10. Fantasy (UT!Grillby/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is also posted as a standalone one shot au for my Chasing The End story. So, if you're like 'I've already read this' it's probably because you have haha.
> 
> This reader is a female reader.

You heard the high-pitched scream that made your stomach drop and your hands drop the dish you were washing. Your heart beat heavily in your chest, but a soothing reassurance calmed you down almost instantly. It almost seemed to whisper _‘no one was harmed...it’s okay...we’re all okay’. _

Still, you wiped your hands off on your apron and hurried outside into the yard. Grillby was holding a small flaming child high above a smaller amphibian monster who was attempting to scale him to get to the child. Nindree was too busy cackling, getting a dry look from her mate who then proceeded to head over to scoop Undyne into their arms.

“What happened?” you asked, half amused as Grillby lowered Kindra slightly but still well out of reach of Undyne if she were to wriggle her way out of Cherja’s arms.

“Undyne wanted to show Kindra the new move that Gerson showed her! Cept, my little brat wanted ta practice ON your kid. Sorry for the intrusion, but the way! BUT! We’re basically family so DEAL WITH IT!” Nindree said with a big grin, and Cherja sighed exasperatedly, before swiping their long tail into Nindree’s legs and tripping her.

Undyne cackled, clapping her tiny hands at the sight of her mother sprawled on the floor.

“Apologiessss, Lionheart, Undyne was full of energy,” Cherja sighed, slithering closer to you.

You sighed softly, “No apologies needed, Cher. Which one screamed like that?”

Grillby jerked a thumb over to Undyne who was grinning proudly up at you from underneath her parents arm. You raised your eyebrow, “That was a loud scream, kiddo. Thought someone was hurt.”

“Gotta make em AFRAID!” Undyne shouted, pumping her fists upwards as best she could, but almost fell out of Cherja’s arms. Cherja sighed again before placing their daughter onto the dirt unceremoniously. Undyne grinned up at you, her red hair flopping into her face before she roughly shoved it out of the way. It looked like it had been braided at one point, but you knew Undyne hated the feeling of her hair braided unlike her mother.

“Undyne, do you wisssh to ssshow your Aunt them move inssstead?” Cherja asked, “No tesssting it on her, though.”

“Oh, no,” you waved a hand, “sweetie, you can practice on me, but first you gotta apologize to Kindra for scaring them.”

Undyne puffed out her cheeks before sighing dramatically and walking over to your SOULmate. Grillby bent down to one knee and Undyne held out a webbed hand towards Kindra, who had returned to her more human-esque appearance. Kindra stared at the hand before peering up at her father. Only when he nodded did she reach out and accept the hand shake.

“Sorry for scaring you...or whatever,” Undyne mumbled, before immediately darting back over to you and grabbing at your apron. “NOW?”

You huffed out a laugh, “sure, kid.”

Undyne led you a bit away from the house to the ‘sparring area’ as Nindree had declared it one day when she had tackled you to the ground one day. It had been ten years since you last had to worry about keeping your fighting skills sharp. The peace treaty King Riagol made with the human king had worked, thankfully.

Your best friend’s daughter was nearly fifteen and sometimes forgot that Halflings didn’t mature as fast as Monsters did, and sometimes couldn’t understand why your four year old wasn’t like her. Speaking of, you glanced over at Kindra, sending out a comforting pulse and she returned a loving one that almost made you start crying in the sparring ring.

You’d never thought you would ever have this life. A husband, a daughter...Gods, you didn’t even think you’d have friends. There had been a point where you had refused to look to the future, every day was one after the next because all you saw when you looked into the future was death, despair, and war. This wasn’t the future you had ever envisioned...but it was a future you were grateful for.

Undyne didn’t let you dwell on your thoughts for long at all before she was pulling you into an encounter. You skipped your turn by checking her and giggling at the description.

*_Wants to get strong enough to suplex a BOULDER!_

When it was her turn, you could see her face screw up in concentration focusing on her hand before a spear fizzled into existence. Undyne grinned wickedly at it before glancing over at her parents with excitement and then turned back towards you. With even more concentration she threw the spear towards your SOUL. You already knew there was no harmful intent in the blow, but it _was_ your SOUL, so you shifted it out of the way of the spear at the last second.

When it was your turn, you checked her again and saw that the description had changed to:

*WILL suplex a boulder one day!

Your smile widened before you allowed her to end the encounter.

“One day I’ll be able to bet anyone in a fight!” Undyne shouted in promise before running towards Nindree and tackling her back to the ground. You snorted as the two began to rough house on the ground, shouts of praise and encouragement from Nindree and cackles and laughter from Undyne filled the small clearing that you and Grillby had made your home.

Cherja smiled fondly at the image before they turned back towards you, “Thank you...that isss all we came by for....ssshe wasss quite excccited. We ssshall get out of your hair, Gasster and Viv invited usss over for lunch.”

“OH! RIGHT!” Nindree sprung to her feet, Undyne tucked under her arm giggling, “Viv wanted me to tell you that she and that old fart think that their egg’s gunna hatch soon. Sans has been talkin’ bout nothing else.”

You smiled, “I can’t wait to meet Papyrus.”

“NEITHER CAN I!” Undyne shouted, “Sans doesn’t wanna rough house with me, and Ra’s too small still.”

“Anywaysss, let’sss go,” Cherja said, placing a hand on Nindree’s back, “We’re intruding.”

“Pah, what’s with you and Grillbz always telling me I’m intruding,” Nindree grumbled, but allowed her mate to guide her away after giving you a one armed hug, and punching Grillby’s shoulder.

“...if you stopped....we wouldn’t tell you...” Grillby shot back, grinning at her and giving her a lighter punch back. You waved, calling out promises to see them soon, and watched as they continued down the path back towards the capital. Once they were out of sight, you twirled towards your family and pulled Kindra out of Grillby’s arms.

“Well, wasn’t that an exciting morning,” you said kissing her nose, then added as you glanced at her small stripped dress, “good thing I enchanted your clothes to not burn. Combustible baby.”

Kindra smiled at you, returning the kiss on your nose with a bit too much pressure and enthusiasm. She giggled at you as you scrunched up your nose slightly. Grillby placed a kiss to her temple which made her giggle more, and then pat her father’s cheeks happily. He responded by blowing some sparks lightly at her, which made her giggle even harder as they dusted across her cheeks.

“What were you two up to?” you asked, nudging Grillby’s stomach with your elbow, “Besides lighting my daughter on fire.”

“I did it!” Kindra announced loudly, before bursting into flames in your arms. Grillby yanked her out of your arms immediately, and you felt the slight panic in his face but you simply laughed.

“Look at you! Have you been practising?” you asked, subtly reaching over to Grillby to soothe his worries. You both knew that she’d would have to have intent to harm you, but she also wasn’t able to stop things from catching on fire. Your clothes were not enchanted against fire...yet. You added that to your mental checklist.

“Yeah! With Papa!” Kindra chirrped happily, before kissing Grillby’s cheek and the wriggling in his arms. “I wanna go!”

“....where?” Grillby asked, but relented.

“Play with frogs!” Kindra announced, pointing towards the pond.

Grillby tensed slightly, and you rested your hand against his back.

“Just don’t burst into flames near the water, okay?” you said smiling down at her, “It makes Papa nervous.”

“Okay! I won’t!” Kindra said, beaming at the two of you before spinning around and skipping towards the pond.

Grillby let out a sigh of smoke this time and looked down at you before back at his daughter. You stepped closer and wrapped your arms around his waist. Immediately, his arms curled around you, but his eyes never left Kindra as she splashed in the pond and then began to crouch down to try to find some frogs.

Sometimes you swore he neared overprotective when it came to Kindra, but then again he had never been around Halfling children. All he knew was that fire elementals didn’t mix with water, and his daughter, who even if she was half-human, was half-fire elemental. The first time he had walked in on you bathing with her, he had nearly fainted.

Neither of you were going to dunk her into water when she was in her flame form...but she was old enough that she had control over switching back forth now.

You kissed the highest point on Grillby that you could, which was his chest, before releasing him. “Okay, crisis diverted, I’m going to finish up my morning chores. Are you heading to the tavern soon?”

He nodded, bending down to kiss the top of your head. Fingers gently tracing your jaw before he straightened, and moved closer to the pond. You could feel the worry that he was trying to tamp down, but you sent a soothing flow similar to the one he had just sent you, and watched as his shoulder relaxed ever so slightly.

Grillby had retired from the Royal Guard a few years back, before the two of you had even decided to have Kindra. Shortly after he had opened Home’s first tavern. He was tired of fighting, and he had found that he loved cooking and learning new recipes. Your cookbook, well it was his now too, was constantly on the counter with him scrawling the recipes that he made into it in his language. It was now a mixture of the strange Mage written language, and the Monster written language. Plus one scribbled recipe that Kindra had written for tea that Gerson had made for her.

Oh! Right, Gerson was in the city. He’d probably be at the tavern when Grillby went to open it. You’d probably swing by with Kindra if Gerson didn’t pop by your farmstead first.

If you went into the city, you’d probably pay a visit to Toriel and Asgore and see how their Egg was doing. Asriel was taking a while to hatch, but neither were worried, each Egg took its own sweet time to hatch. Riagol was a mess waiting for his grandchild, however, and complained that he would Dust before they hatched. Then what? He’d never get to meet his grandchild.

You had been on the end of a few of those rants, normally while you and Gaster were giving him an update on the latest SOUL research. Gaster had quite the humor once you got to know him...and now you didn’t have to guess why him and Vivaldi were SOULmates.

With that thought, you glanced over your shoulder to see Grillby ushering Kindra back towards the house. He gave you both kisses before heading out to the city to his day job.

The rest of the day sped by, as they all seemed to do now. You taught Kindra about human and monster history, you taught her some more magic tricks (small things to help her improve her control), and got her ‘help’ in the farm. Just before dinner, you took her into town to her father’s tavern, where she and Gerson chattered the night away, and you joked with Vivaldi and Gaster while Sans chuckled away holding onto his baby brother’s egg.

Kindra eventually got tired so you gave Gerson a kiss on the cheek, said goodbye to Viv and Gaster, and then encouraged Kindra to give everyone good night hugs. She did. Every single monster in the tavern. Who all cooed and aww’d at the little Halfling who was sleepily moving from Monster to Monster. You smiled and felt Grillby’s SOUL flare with affection.

It wasn’t a long walk back to the farmstead, and you sang Kindra to sleep along the way. Her tiny head tucked against your shoulder, one arm limp and the other loosely holding onto the neckline of your tunic. You quietly opened her bedroom door and slowly placed her into her bed. She stirred slightly, but settled quickly as you pulled her blanket up.

For a moment, you stayed with her, watching her chest rise and fall and her eyelids flutter with dreams. Memories floated to the surface, and you wiped a few tears from your cheeks before you stood up and left her to her slumber.

You entered your own bedroom and stripped down before pulling on your nightwear and slipping into bed. Grillby’s schedule varied, he normally stayed until the last patron left...and thankfully the monsters were kind enough to not eat up too much of the night. Still, sometimes you missed falling asleep with him in the bed beside you. Especially during the winters.

You were awoken by a warm arm wrapping around your waist and a strong chest pressing against your back. A soft kiss on your shoulder was followed by a trail up your neck, making a shiver roll down your spine that had nothing to do with the temperature. You gently stroked the arm around your waist and nestled back into Grillby's embrace.

“I love you,” you whispered, tilting your head so you could see him better.

“...and I, you,” he replied back just as softly. “...never thought I’d get this.”

“Me either,” you said before shifting in his arms so you were chest to chest, “I don’t know where we’d be if the war-“

He silenced you with a kiss, just a quick one, before pressing his forehead against yours. “...don’t think about that...when I do....it makes my SOUL hurt.”

You nod, foreheads brushing against each other’s lightly. “I know,” you run your hands up his chest before slipping them around his neck to pull him into another kiss. This one more heated. He wasted no time before pulling you on top of him and trailing his hands up and down your thighs. You poured all your love and affection for him through your SOULbond and you felt him shudder beneath you.

There wasn’t a day that went by that you didn’t thank the Gods that the war never happened.

You didn’t want to imagine what your life would’ve been like if it did.


	11. Favourite AU (HT!Sans/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SOOOO This isn’t like favourite AU as in my favourite Undertale AU (which is probably Fellswap atm?) but like a favourite just fanfic AU to read. Yknow those tropy things? LOVE EM. This is a coffee shop AU. So.

Being a barista was not something that you had seen for yourself, but it was one of those things where you had been desperate for a job, and they were the first people to respond. It took you a while to warm up to the job but now you were content with it. Wasn’t the best job you’d ever had, but wasn’t the worst either. Actually, you'd gotten so used to it...primarily because you preferred the morning shifts. There was always one monster that came in who was so full of energy it was infectious. You learned on your first shift that his name was Papyrus and that he volunteered down at the homeless shelter in the mornings before going to his day job as a librarian assistant! He was always so excited about his work, and he’d chat up all the barista’s all the time.

Unfortunately, you were on the late-night shift, and you were grumpy about it.

It wasn’t for any particular reason. You just were grumpy.

Oh well, sometimes that’s life.

“AH!” Papyrus’ loud voice boomed out your name after the exclamation, entering the practically dead coffee shop (you really didn’t understand why it was open so late, it was never busy after 7, but it stayed open until 10). You straightened up from where you were slouched against the counter attempting to convince your coworker to lick something that had fallen on the ground.

“Papyrus, what brings you here so late?” you asked, a genuine smile on your face overriding the customer service face that you normally had plastered on.

“I Told My Brother About This Lovely Café! Meet Sans,” he said, before stepping aside and gesturing to a monster you had no idea how you hadn’t noticed before. He was massive. Taller than you (not as tall as Papyrus though), and wide as well. Which was why you were astounded that you didn’t notice him before Papyrus introduced him. It was then you noticed Papyrus doing jazz hands at his brother, who had turned his one lit crimson orb to stare at the taller of the two. A smile broke out over your face as you attempted to keep your laughter to yourself.

It didn't work.

“Pfft,” you giggled at the scene, “Well, welcome! Papyrus has told us lot’s about you,” you said warmly to his brother. “What can we get for you?”

You did have to do your actual job after all.

Papyrus ushered his brother closer to the counter and then started animatedly talking about the different options that he had tried over the past couple of months he’d been coming. He decided that he was going to have the apple cinnamon latte, and a scone to stay! His brother glanced over at him before shrugging and saying, “i’ll take the same.”

His voice was _much_ deeper than Papyrus’ but he spoke very softly a strange combination. You nodded, glancing over at your coworker to see that he was staring at Sans with a slack jaw look. Instantly, your brow drew together and you cleared your throat. “Uh…did you get that?”

“Huh?” he asked, eyes not leaving Sans.

“Two apple cinnamon lattes,” you repeated, shooting him a tense smile, “to stay.”

“Oh…okay, got it,” he said, snapping out of whatever state of thought he was in and hurried to prepare the teas for them. You sighed softly, trying hard to keep it soft enough that neither Papyrus nor his brother heard before turning towards them again.

“What scone would you boys like?” you asked, jerking a thumb towards the display case. “It’s late so unfortunately we’re limited and they’re not as fresh as this morning.”

Papyrus waved a hand in dismissal but then placed a hand over his hip and stared intently at the scones on display. Sans, on the other hand, glanced over at you, “what do you guys do with the leftovers?”

“Hm? Leftovers? Oh you mean, what’s left at the end of the day? Our boss normally takes them either to the homeless shelter if there are substantial leftovers or he lets us take them home,” you said, and gestured over at the display. “Years ago apparently they were just thrown out, but like…it’s perfectly good food even if it’s a bit stale the next day. I mean when you're…” you stopped talking as your coworker placed down the cups of hot tea on the counter. One of the cups hit the edge of the counter, causing him to drop the cup splatter the hot latte all down the side of your leg.

“Shit!” your coworker blurted out, and you covered your face with your hands attempting to smother a sharp hiss of pain at the scalding sensation. He had been working here longer than you had, and you had _never_ seen him fuck up like this. You took a deep breath, counting to five to try to save face. The side of your leg stung from the hot water, and you slowly lowered your hands. “Mind taking over?” you said, staring hard at the ground. Your coworker stammered out an apology and then begged you to stay, but you strode straight into the back room.

After screaming into your arm, checking to see if it was a serious burn which it wasn't thanks to wearing thicker pants that day, you dabbed away at the latte soaked pants before walking back out front. Papyrus and Sans were sitting at one of the tables, and you caught Sans’ eye. You gave a smile that didn’t quite reach your eyes before striding over to your coworker.

“So, mind telling me why you’re all…” you whispered and gestured towards the freshly mopped floor. He winced.

“I know….I’m sorry. It’s just….he gives me a weird vibe is all,” your coworkers whispered, eyes glancing over your shoulders.

“Why?” you asked, trying to keep your voice level and quiet, “I don’t get a single ‘weird’ vibe from him and I’m normally the person who gets uncomfortable around strangers.”

Your coworker shifted awkwardly, “it’s his…eye.”

“What about his eye?” you demanded, and you saw your coworker was constantly growing more and more uncomfortable so you huffed quietly.

“It just…Papyrus’ eyes move around, his doesn’t. Just stays focused. It’s creepy,” your coworker dropped his voice even further down. You huffed a bit louder.

“I gotta write an incident report,” you grumbled, and your coworker grabbed your arm.

“Please don’t,” he begged, “it was my fault. I’ll finish all the closing duties if you don’t.”

“What if it turns out worse than it is?” you demanded, “I want compensation so I’m going to go and write this report, and then I’ll help you close. Just…did you at least apologize to them for fucking up?”

He shook his head, and you stared at him in disbelief before pinching your nose. God, kill you now. You turned on your heel and went into the back to print off the incident report, and then you stomped back out front, turned the sign on the front door to closed, and then took some calming deep breaths before heading over to Papyrus and Sans.

“So, I uh-“

“ARE YOU ALRIGHT?” Papyrus interrupted immediately. His brother’s eye light widened a bit when you glanced over at him briefly before smiling, a genuine smile.

“Yeah, just a light burn nothing major. Uhm, but I was talking to my coworker and he said he didn’t apologize to you guys for messing up there. So I-“

“nah,” Sans shoved the last bit of scone into his mouth, “you don’t need ta apologize for him.”

You froze, apology dying in your throat, “Oh?”

Papyrus’s full attention was on his brother, and you saw a fond smile on the taller ones face.

“s’not your fault,” Sans said with a shrug, “don’t see why _you_ gotta apologize.”

“B-Because?” you stammered, suddenly feeling like you were being confronted.

Sans gestured to the chair beside him. “ya gotta write something?”

You nod slightly, and he gestured to the chair again. For a moment you glanced at his brother before exhaling and sitting down. Papyrus immediately brought the conversation back into more comfortable waters as you scribbled down the last bit of the incident report. Sans punned a few times, sometimes a bit delayed, but that just made you snort and then cover your face in embarrassment to Sans delighted chuckling and Papyrus’ sighs of exasperation. It was delightful, and then Papyrus was gushing about Sans’ love for rocks, and the moment you got him talking about that? Whoooooo boy. You were amazed by how enthusiastic he was about them, and you mentioned a couple of gems and rock types you liked and he went into detail that had you nearly forgetting to fill out your paperwork in favour of just listening to his deep voice talk.

Once you were finished up your report, you reluctantly told them that the shop was closed, and had been for a bit. Papyrus was appalled that he had overstayed his welcome, and Sans just shrugged and said that someone would’ve told them that they had if they wanted them to leave.

You refused to correct Sans to say that some retail store employees will, in fact, get in trouble if they tell a customer to leave, even if the store has been closed for forty-five minutes.

As you let them out, you gently reached out and placed a hand on Sans’ arm. It startled him a bit, but he relaxed once his eye light landed back on you.

“Hey…uh, I know this is really…werid, but uh…can I…maybe get…your number?” you stammered out, “actually that was really werid. I’m sorry uh, have a good night-“

Sans pulled out a cellphone and held it out towards you. You froze for a moment until he gently poked your shoulder with it, then you snapped out of your surprise with a blush and entered your phone number and name into it. When he took it back he read your name out loud, and then grinned at you.

“thanks a latte for being so cool,” he winked at you. His brother groaned.

“It Would Make More Sense To Say Hot In This Scenario, Brother. As Your First Meeting With Her Was Met With A Burn,” Papyrus said, but you could hear the distinct teasing voice of a brother who knew more than he was letting on.

Sans snorted, “yeah, you’re the best, bro.”

Papyrus smiled and placed a hand on his brother’s back. “So! When Are You Going To Ask The Human On Date?”

You blushed. Sans blushed before elbowing his brother in the ribs. “papyrus!”

“What! You Said She’s Cute!” Papyrus grinned, “Then Got All Upset That She Didn’t Smile As Much After Her Injury.”

Sans ran a hand down his face, refusing to look at you. You cleared your throat lightly, “so uh…I’m totally flattered and all, but I do need to close the store…so…just text me? Or call…whatever!” you blushed, but a smile easily stretched over your face. “Even if it’s not for a date and just to hang. I mean, if you want. Or not…okay, uh…goodnight!”

You waved, and hurried back into the store and covered your face with your hands. Forgetting entirely that they could still _see _you. Your coworker looked at you in confusion, but you waved him off.

You grinned as you climbed into your car fifteen minutes later to see that you had a text from Sans. A stupid knock-knock joke that had you giggling stupidly. There had been a tiny spark between you and Sans…and you wanted to see where it would go.


	12. Tears (UF!Grillby/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Mentions of casual sex, so a bit not PG13 this one

You used to be a crybaby. Years ago, you’d cry over everything. Tears would swell in your eyes and fall forth like tiny waterfalls unable to be damned. Until one day, you had been told enough times that ‘adults don’t cry, stop being a baby’ and ‘stop crying it’s annoying,’ and your tears dried up. You stopped letting people know when you were hurt. Bottled your feelings up so tightly that not even the smallest molecule of water could escape in the form of a tear.

Yet, that didn’t stop you from crying when you were alone in the shower where no one could see the tears.

You _knew_ it was bad for you. You knew it. Because one day, it would all come bursting out of you, and no matter how hard you tried to seal it up before anyone could see, the tears would just push past. Unyielding to your desperate attempts at control.

Because you weren’t in control.

But you could pretend. You could act like you had everything under control.

So, after a particularly brutal day at work that had your shoulders tense, anger swelling in your chest, and tears threatening to blur your vision. You sent off a text cancelling your plans for the night, showered in an attempt to rid the day of your skin and thoughts (<strike>it didn’t work, it never worked</strike>), before getting into your ugliest but comfiest clothes, grabbed a butt load of garbage food, and laid on your bed and started Netflix up.

You ignored the texts you got in.

You couldn’t handle reading them right now.

You knew it would be either disappoint that you cancelled or flippant dismissal. There was no way your mind could handle either of those options at the moment, so you snuggled yourself up and pretended the outside world didn’t exist.

The tears faded first, the easiest to dismiss.

Slowly, your shoulders relaxed as your body settled into the bed. There was still tension but not as bad as it had been earlier.

But no matter how you distracted yourself, it felt like there was a thorn of anger in your chest. Eventually, you got out of bed and went into the living room, turning on your console and booting up your favourite game. There was just something about playing your favourite game that let your mind fade from anything else.

You fell asleep just after one out of pure exhaustion curled up on the couch, listening to the ambient music and sounds of the game.

Just before three, someone knocked on your door. It startled you, and you froze. Fear trickling down your spine as you peered over the back of the couch over at the door of your apartment. What the hell? It was three am! Who was at your apartment at three am? Maybe it was just someone who was at the wrong apartment? It had happened before...but never this late. You swallowed thickly and curled up a bit more. Where was your phone? You glanced around and saw that it was on the kitchen counter. Another knock, a bit more firm this time.

It made you jump again.

Slowly you crept over to your kitchen and picked up your phone.

12 unread messages. 4 missed calls.

All from the same person.

You opened up the messages and read the most recent.

_I’m coming over._

You glanced back over at the door before sighing softly and creeping over. Another knock, and another jump. You didn’t even need to fully peer out the peephole to know who was behind the door, and you unlocked it and cracked the door open. The chain still across the door.

“It’s three am,” you grumbled, “fuck off.”

“That’s very nice of you,” Grillby responded dryly, “I came to check up on you, and you tell me to fuck off?”

“Yeah. Again. Three am, bud,” you leaned against the wall, “I told you I wasn’t in the mood today.”

“Yes, I saw that,” he pointed a finger at you, “but I assume you didn’t read _my_ messages?”

You shook your head, and he grinned his wicked grin. “Well, that’s just rude.”

You closed the door. He knocked again. You ignored it. He knocked a second time. You sighed and opened the door.

“Fuck off.”

“Language,” he teased, “I swear I’m not here for a booty call as you so…delightfully call it.”

“Hm,” you said, “then what do you want?”

“Well, when one of my dearest friends doesn’t respond back to me, and continuously does not read my messages nor returns my calls, I get worried,” he leaned against the door, his flames sending a purple strip of light across your living room. “Now are you going to let me in or are you going to let the old lady across the hall listen in to our conversation all night?”

You exhaled heavily, ready to tell him to fuck off again when he stepped aside slightly and you saw the door across the hall cracked open. With a deeper sigh, you closed the door, but only to take the chain off and open it back up. He smirked at you before striding in like he owned the place, you sent an apologetic smile to your neighbour before closing and locking the door. When you turned around, Grillby was scanning the room silently. He tucked his sunglasses into his jacket pocket before casually removing his jacket and hanging it up on your coat rack. It was unusual for him not to make some snide remark about your living space when he did grace your apartment instead of you going to his place.

“I see you have your phone,” Grillby commented, turning around and kabe-don-ing you. You snorted instantly. Wasn’t as romantic as in the anime’s, especially when you saw it as an overused trope. Grillby’s eyes narrowed slightly.

“Yeah, just picked it up,” you waved it at him, “Want me to read your texts now? Or are you going to tell me that you masterminded your way into my apartment to ask me to have sex in person because I was ignoring you.” You ducked under his arm and headed over to your couch and dropped heavily into it, “I was serious, Grillbz. Not happening. Not in the mood. Really, _really_ not in the mood for any of this. Go home.”

“You know,” Grillby started, walking over to the couch and crossing his arms glaring at the empty chip bag you had left in his usual spot when he did come over to actually spend time with you with no ulterior motives. You didn’t move it. He wasn’t exactly welcome. The thorn of anger was starting to dig in even more. “When you’re simply not in the mood, you don’t send me _‘Not feeling it.’_ and nothing else. It’s normally ‘_Hey, so I’m not in the mood today, sorry, next time though,’ _or something of the sort.”

“So?” you grumped, pulling your throw blanket back over your body and glaring at him.

“So? You didn’t apologize fifteen times until I said that your apologies are annoying me,” he glared at the chip bag as if personally insulted him. You still didn’t move it. He could. Big baby.

“And? Maybe I finally learned to stop apologizing.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but you could see that it wasn’t an irritated one like when you had snorted at his attempt to intimidate you or seduce you or whatever that kabe-don move was supposed to do. It was more calculating.

“What’s wrong,” he asked plainly, not soft or demanding, just as a question.

“Nothing,” you said, too quickly, and too sharply.

“I do believe that I told you how this thing works is that we have to be honest with each other,” he said, and you went to snap at him but he reached down and plucked the chip bag up with a grumble, “Flithy.”

He walked into the kitchen and threw the bag into the garbage. You heard rustling and turned around to see him tidying your kitchen up. He was uncomfortable. Not with the physical state of your apartment, just in general. You sighed heavily and leaned against the back of the couch.

“Yeah, but that’s more like about what we like, don’t like, and if we want to stop or not,” you pointed out, “never said anything about emotional vulnerability. Didn’t take you for the kind of guy to offer his booty call a shoulder to cry on unless…yknow.”

“I’m making them cry from bliss?” he retorted, giving you a look, “yes, I’m not. Water and fire don’t mix well.”

He opened your fridge and started making comments about how gross it was and how you had such unhealthy food. All under his breath. You sighed again. “You don’t live here, stop cleaning my apartment.”

“It’s disgusting-“

“It’s normal,” you interrupted, “You just…over clean.”

A glare, “we’re not talking about me here.”

“We’re not talking about me either,” you snapped, “back off, Grillby. Go hommmmmmmmmme.”

“How can I leave when your home is a pigsty?” he shot back, grumpily as if you were making him clean your entire apartment top from bottom. 

“What’s got your thong in a twist?” you mumbled, “isn’t like I forced you out here.”

“I don’t wear underwear- where do you keep your alcohol?” he interjected, and you sat up.

“I don’t have alcohol. Too expensive and I skip the fun part of alcohol and go straight to a migraine if I drink the wrong type,” you explained and then finally stood up. “I’m going to bed, if you go home wake me up so I can lock up behind you.”

“Not until you tell me what’s wrong,” he said, finishing rearranging your fridge by…colour? and closing the door. He followed as you trudged towards your bedroom.

“Why do you care? Fuck off.”

“Do you really want me to leave?” he asked, stopping at your bedroom door. You turned around surprised that he stopped, but then again he was big on boundaries and respecting them (except right now with not leaving apparently.) “Because I will leave.”

You hesitated slightly, staring up at him. You didn’t _really_ want to be alone, you were just being prickly…and you knew why. You didn’t feel comfortable being sad so you got irritated when you did. You were sad…and lonely…and you couldn’t let him stay because you knew something in your mind would switch and your situation with Grillby was purely for physical pleasure. You didn’t want to cross that line, because you _knew_ he wouldn’t reciprocate.

You wondered if he even could feel like that about anyone.

“Go home,” you mumbled, turning around as your eyes started to water. Nope. This wasn’t good. There was no way you were going to let _Grillby_ see you cry. You started picking up the leftover wrappers from your bed, and tossing them into the trash.

“That’s not what I asked,” Grillby said from your bedroom door, “Tell me to _leave._”

“What’s the difference?” you snapped and sniffled.

“I stopped having a ‘home’ a long fucking time ago, that’s what. My apartment? Just a place to fuck and sleep. My bar? A place where I get paid to watch miserable fucks drown themselves with their own sorrows,” Grillby growled out, “Tell me to leave, and I’ll leave. Tell me to go home, I can’t cus I don’t have one. Now. Do you want me to leave?”

“You drink at your own bar, more often than you work,” you pointed out. There was silence, and you turned to see him staring at you, his arms crossed and flames quirked in a way that reminded you of a lifted eyebrow as if to say ‘yeah?’. You cleared your throat, sniffling lightly and dropped your gaze back to your bed. He…was including himself in the miserable fucks. “Do you want to talk about it?” you joked, but it fell flat.

Neither of you said anything. You fluffed your comforter out so it lay over the entire bed instead of being all crumpled, and then rearranged your pillows. Great. Now you were tidying because you were uncomfortable. Next, you'd be rearranging your closet.

“I had a bad day at work,” you mumbled, “happy?”

“Marginally,” he retorted, “but you never answered my previous question.”

“I…look,” you turned towards him, swallowing back your tears. “What I want right now is someone to hold me and tell me that today was just a fluke and tell me it’s okay to cry about a bad day because sometimes you just gotta cry. What I want is a relationship where someone cares about me as more than a piece of ass or whatever. You can’t give me either of those…so…fuck off.”

The tears were starting to pool in your eyes and you quickly scrubbed them with your fists as if you were trying to screw your tear ducts shut again.

“That’s funny,” Grillby spoke up once your hands fell back to your sides.

“Thanks, asshole,” you grumbled, anger spiking.

“I want to actually trust someone other than myself. I want someone who isn’t afraid to tell me to fuck off because they’re not scared of what I can and probably would do to them,” he spoke, not looking at you but rather at a pile of laundry in the corner. You could practically see him itching to cross the threshold into your room to toss them into the hamper but unless you invited him in, he wouldn’t enter your room. You both stared at the laundry.

“I tell you to fuck off daily,” you said finally, “I’m not afraid of you because you’re a lot more bark than bite. Though your bite does hurt sometimes.”

That got a huff of a laugh from him, but he didn’t speak until you finally looked up at him. “We’re both too prickly to let people near us but…and don’t you fucking tell Sans or anyone else this, but we both want someone to love us.”

Your mouth dropped open, and then it snapped shut and you swallowed thickly. “Didn’t peg you for the kind.”

Normally he wouldn’t pass up the joke about ‘pegging’ but, he huffed and gestured towards your laundry. “Please pick that up.”

“You do it if it bothers you so much,” you retorted, and he glanced at his feet briefly, “Yeah, come in.”

He instantly moved across the room and began tidying up the corner of your room that you got dressed in daily.

“Monsters are made out of love, compassion, and hope…or we originally were,” Grillby grumbled quietly, “I used to be different, wasn’t always purple. But when it’s kill or be killed? I learned really quick how to protect myself from betrayals. Plenty of people want to get close in any way they can so they can stab you in the back and kill you for more EXP.”

You slowly sat down on your bed, watching him flit about the room to clean it. He liked to keep moving and hated mess. You hadn’t been feeling the motivation to keep your house as clean as normal and you could tell it was helping him with whatever he was feeling right now.

“You couldn’t kill me even if you put your entire intent to kill me,” Grillby stated suddenly, turning to look at you.

“Uh…” you were…very taken aback. “I…wouldn’t murder you? Ever? Or anyone for that matter?”

“Exactly,” he said with a nod.

You were lost now. “I’m not following here, what does that have to do with anything?”

Grillby gave you a withering look before gesturing to your bed. You nodded, and he sat down in front of you.

“Again, do not tell Sans or anyone else, but I may…have…” he started, before getting up again and started organizing your bedside table.

“Grillby?”

He glanced down at you before grumbling, “I may have caught feelings for you.”

“Oh.”

“Imagine my surprise,” Grillby added, “You’re the first person I’ve slept with who I didn’t leave in the middle of the night or kick out after fucking. Couldn’t even fathom kicking you out, really. You’d probably cry and then I’d feel bad.”

“I don’t cry,” you blurted out instantly, “I can’t even remember the last time I’ve cried.”

Lies, but they were an automatic response to people mentioning you crying. He quickly called your bluff by reaching over and touching your cheek. The softest fizzle reached your ear.

“You just told me you wanted someone to tell you it’s alright to cry, but you never cry?” he said, trailing his finger down your cheek drying up the small tracks from tears that had escaped earlier.

“I….” you stopped yourself and swallowed thickly, “Just had a bad day.”

“Tell me about it,” he said, voice soft.

It broke you.

You tried hard to stop the sobs, but they came anyway, and you covered your face and curled in on yourself. No. You didn’t want him to see you like this! You didn’t want anyone to see you like this. They were full-body sobs as well, ones that stole your breath as you gasped and choked. Ugly and gross.

“Unexpected,” Grillby mumbled to himself, and you half-sobbed half-laughed at that. “I am grossly unprepared. What…do I do?”

“Y-You-You are…a-awful at this,” you managed to choke out between your sobs, and he reached out and stroked your hair awkwardly.

“I said tell me about it, not cry,” he snarked back but there was no heat it in, “I’m not exactly used to this emotional stuff. I was expecting like a tear and a snarky heated retelling of assholes…what happened? I might not have as much sway as I did in the Underground but-“

The sobs faded as he spoke, and you took in a shuddering breath before exhaling just as uneven. “N-No…just…one bad day turned that turned bad week ending with the shittest of bad days. Little stupid things,” you said, wiping at your face. “Sorr-“

“Don’t apologize for your tears,” he grumbled, crouching in front of you and reaching up with both hands. He touched your cheeks and instantly dried both of them with a sizzle. “You can’t control them…right?”

You shook your head.

“Apologize for the mess in your apartment instead,” Grillby offered, and you smacked one of his hands away and he grinned, “Really, it’s filthy in here.”

“You’re filthy, go away,” you complained, feeling lighter even from just the quick but huge breakdown. Grillby’s hand ran down your neck and then your arm as he grinned.

“That’s not what you said last time,” he teased.

“Shut up,” you retorted, feeling lighter than you had been before. His hands smoothed down your arms, legs, and then unexpectedly, he grabbed your ankles and stood up. It offset your balance causing you to fall backwards with a yelp, and he shoved your legs towards the foot of the bed, swinging you nearly to proper sleeping angle. “What the hell?”

“Want me to cuddle you?” he asked, “you always joke about how we never cuddle after fucking.”

“I don’t want you to cuddle me because I want you to cuddle me,” you retorted, adjusting your shirt so it wasn’t riding up.

“You’re impossible,” Grillby grumbled, “Trying to respect your boundaries but you always answer with that shit.”

You gave him a look and then shuffled up further on the bed so your head was actually on the pillow. “Go make sure the door is locked, turn off my television, and then come cuddle me,” you said, gesturing towards your door.

“Lazy ass,” he grumbled but walked out of the bedroom. A few moments later, he returned and stripped down to his underwear.

“Oh! You wore underwear! You said you never wore underwear!” you pointed out as he folded his clothes and placed them on your dresser.

"A small fib, next time I can wear a thong," he said drily, turning around to face you. "I never wear underwear when I'm playing on fucking someone."

“So, you weren’t planning on fucking me tonight. I was wrong,” you nestled further into your blankets. "Big tough fireman was _actually_ concerned about his tiny, fleshy human fuck friend."

“Sex is still on the table,” Grillby said standing at the foot of the bed and hooking his thumbs into his waistband, “If you want?”

“Not in the mood,” you reminded him, and his thumbs left his waistband, “Now, come show me how the fearsome Grillby cuddles.”

He blew out a huff of sparks, his fake irritation, and then he stalked around the side of the bed and shoved you over. You huffed out a laugh as he climbed into the bed. His hands were warm as they reached towards you and shifted you around until he settled in behind you. One arm around your stomach, legs tangled with your own, and his face buried in your neck. Once he was settled, you relaxed slightly against him.

He huffed against your neck and you twitched away with a soft giggle. “Don’t do that,” you mumbled, “it tickles.”

He did it again and another giggle burst from your lips, and then you wriggled slightly away from him.

“Come back, we were cuddling,” he said, reaching towards you.

“You were tickling me,” you shot back, lying on your back to glare with no heat at him. He shifted closer, hand sliding up your shirt to rest against your ribs, and he tucked his face against your neck. A moment passed, and then he left the gentlest kiss against the hollow of your throat that made your breath hitch. “Not tonight,” you reminded him.

He sat up slightly, “can’t kiss you?”

“Not if you’re wanting it to go anywhere. I just ugly cried,” you huffed, and then he surprised you by leaning down and kissing your cheek. Then your other cheek. Then captured your lips in a soft kiss.

“I don’t,” he said, and you believed it. He settled back in, and for a moment you felt more like you were cuddling him than he was cuddling you, but…then you rested your hand on the back of his head and rested your other on his arm and you felt him relax against you…and you relaxed as well. It felt like he practically melted at your gentle touch, and he shifted his arm until his fingers intertwined with yours. A moment passed, before he muttered, “Don’t fucking tell anyone.”

“Like anyone would believe me,” you teased, “and then I’d have to tell people I cried, and I don’t cry.”

He laughed softly, and your chest ached with affection you didn’t know you had towards him. You and Grillby had somehow chipped each other’s shells away to see the hurt and loneliness inside. You saw the miserable man who was afraid of being hurt by someone he loved, and he saw a lonely woman who had been hurt by someone she trusted.

It wasn’t love, and you weren’t going to trick yourself into thinking that it was, but it felt right.

As you drifted off to sleep, you realized it was the first time you’d fallen asleep with someone in your arms…and with clothes on.


	13. Lovestruck (SF!Sans/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not…great at writing SF!Sans, I don’t think? But…I tried??? So??? I don’t have many headcanons or personality for him quite yet like I do his brother, but……hopefully I did him some justice here! It’s also written in Sans’ POV! (Which I think is the first self-tober story that I have written that’s not like in ‘reader’s’ POV?)
> 
> I also am pretty sure this chapter is gender-neutral to the best of my ability.

Sans was many things; a superb strategist, an incredibly intelligent individual, and a ferocious fighter. He’d describe himself as any one of those things with pride and smugness knowing that no one would dare question him anyways. He knew how to control people, whether by fear, paying them off, or befriending them. Each person required a certain finesse, and plenty of background information. Enemies were always thoroughly vetted, but so were friends. He knew everything about everyone. If he couldn’t find what he wanted? Well, he had others who could.

What Sans abhorred to describe himself as was a lovestruck numbskull.

Yet, that was what he was.

As much as he tried to hide it from everyone, even his own brother, he couldn’t help but mess up in stupid ways around you. Especially once he discovered that you weren’t intimidated by him while still respecting him. It was as if you could just see through his bravado and his blustering.

You were sweet and kind, and had befriended Papyrus through a stupid video game.

Ugh.

It wasn’t even one of the good ones that Sans would…never be caught dead playing because he did **not** play video games. Not at all. If you had time to play games you had time to be doing something else, something more important. Of course, Papyrus sometimes stayed the night with those women he’d pick up in bars, so Sans had the night to himself. So what if he occasionally played an RPG while drinking his nightly glass of red wine?

Not that he did that.

At all.

But, you did. So, maybe he’d be okay with playing a game or two with you. If you’d want to that was.

Stars, Sans hadn’t even admitted his feelings and he was head over heels for you, and you didn’t even seem to know that he was. Which, of course, you didn’t, because Sans is _very_ good at hiding his feelings.

Papyrus would agree with him….at least in front of other people. Once they were behind closed doors, Papyrus would snort and say something like, “you like her, bro...you accidentally admitted that you buy box wine instead of expensive stuff and you didn’t even realize it.”

Which was a lie, Sans always bought the best wine the stores had to offer. Besides, you hadn’t even blinked an eye when Sans had said that to you either, so Sans hoped you just hadn’t noticed. Papyrus insisted that it was because you didn’t drink, so you didn’t give a fuck about wine. Sans knew that that’s why he said boxed wine. It was totally a test.

You called Sans up, and he answered within three rings as was his usual. (Actually, he answered the moment his phone began to vibrate and he saw your name and cute face flash on the screen.)

“Hey Sans!” you said cheerfully, “Do you got a minute?”

“I CAN SPARE A MOMENT FOR YOU,” Sans said, ignoring the look his brother gave him. Both of them in their pajama’s as they caught up on their anime. (One of the only anime’s that Undyne recommended to Papyrus that was actually good and not a ‘troll’ recommendation.)

“So, and you can totally say no to this, but, my work is having a company party at this big fancy place and I don’t want to go alone because I don’t have like any real friends here…so, can you be my plus one?” you asked, voice hopeful and embarrassed at the same time. When he didn’t answer immediately, you quickly spoke on, “you can say no! I just, you’re the fanciest guy I know! I mean, Papyrus is my second option but I don’t even think he has a suit so if you say no, please tell me Papyrus owns any formal wear?”

You asked…him out? _You_ are asking him out, to a fancy event. Where he can show off his status and have you at his side?

“WHEN IS IT?” Sans asked, pushing past his surprise instantly. He paused the anime and Papyrus shot him an irritated look, to which he simply flipped off his brother.

“Sunday, September 27th at 7:00 PM,” you told him, sounding like you were reading it off of something rather than having it committed to your memory.

“HOW ‘FANCY’ ARE WE SPEAKING?” he asked mentally going through his closet to figure out which of his suits needed to be dry cleaned.

“Uh…fancy? I-Is there different kinds?” you asked, sounding out of your element.

“AH…YES. IS IT FORMAL WEAR, OR IS IT MORE OF A CASUAL SETTING?” he asked, in other words, would he need his tuxedo or three-piece suit?

There was some shuffling, “The invitation says ‘Creative Black Tie’?”

Sans nodded, “EXCELLENT, AND WHAT COLOUR IS YOUR OUTFIT?”

“Colour?” you asked, sounding even more out of your element. “I haven’t even thought about that? To be honest here, Sans, I don’t even really know what creative black tie means.”

Sans eagerly explained, and then when you hummed in understanding he added, “WHEN YOU DECIDE ON YOUR OUTFIT LET ME KNOW, SO I CAN COORDINATE WITH YOU.”

“Coordinate?” you asked, and then you giggled softly, “oh my gosh, I didn’t even think about that. That’s awesome…I’m going to match someone.”

“OF COURSE, I-“

“yo, sans, can we finish watching this anime or what?” Papyrus said loud enough just to be heard over the phone.

“Oh! You were busy!” you chirped out, “Sorry! Thanks again, I’ll let you go! But I will text you when I know what I’m wearing! Bye, Sans!”

“GOODBYE-“

“sannnnnnnnnnnnnns,” Papyrus interrupted, and Sans heard your delighted laughter before another goodbye and then the line went dead. Sans glared at his younger brother and threw the remote at him.

“WHY MUST YOU BOTHER ME?” Sans grumped, to which Papyrus winked at him.

“just tryna make you more normal to your crush,” Papyrus said, picking the remote up off the couch where it had bounced harmlessly and resumed the anime.

Sans’ date with you had been the only thing he could think of for the rest of the week, it nearly consumed every spare minute of the day…and then you had sent him a photo. It was captioned with ‘I think I found my party outfit :D What do you think, Mr. Fancy?’

It was…so….cute.

And sexy.

And you.

However, what caught Sans’ attention most was that it was the same colour as his magic…perhaps a shade or two off. That small detail had him throwing up his poker face that he had so excellently perfected as to not let anyone see how utterly that threw him.

You had put a stupid little emoji over your face, which disappointed him because he wanted to see how you liked the outfit beyond simple words.

He replied back saying that it was beautiful and an excellent choice. You responded with a simple ‘aww thanks!’ that had Sans a bit disappointed. He expected more of a reaction to his words than just aww thanks. Another moment where Sans grumpily swore that you didn’t have any feelings for him, and felt a bit jealous of his brother. You always were blushing and giggling around Papyrus…

The fact that he had been your first choice for a formal work party was different, because Papyrus did in fact, _not_ own a single formal piece of clothing. No matter how much Sans nagged him to procure something of the sort just in case he needed it. Papyrus insisted that he wouldn’t need it and that it would be a waste of money plus he didn’t get the idea of ‘dry’ cleaning.

Sans explaining the process to Papyrus had fallen on sleeping ears…

The day of the party actually came and Sans came to pick you up, leaving Papyrus dead asleep on the couch. Sans had chosen to wear his normal tuxedo, but with a tie matching the colour you had chosen.

You answered your apartment door, preening yourself while looking just a touch overwhelmed. “How do I look? Fancy enough?” you asked, ushering him inside your apartment as you went on a hunt for your shoes. Sans pointed them out by your fridge, and you gave a breathy thank you as you darted over. You hopped slightly as you pulled them on, and grinned over at him.

“You still haven’t said if I look good or not,” you pointed out, and he blushed slightly. Ah…yes.

“YOU LOOK…CAPTIVATINGLY GORGEOUS,” he said easily, and you staggered a bit before beaming at him.

“You think so?” you asked shyly, before smoothing your hands down your sides in an attempt to smooth out the wrinkles of your outfit, “You look handsome, as well.”

Sans straightened and puff up a bit, pleased by your compliment. A soft blush tinted his cheeks. That was the first time you’d ever called him ‘handsome’ before. While he hoped that it was the first of many times, he wasn’t going to get his hopes up too much. Even if you would be an excellent match for him and vice versa…at least in his own mind.

“Hopefully, tonight goes well,” you sighed, pulling on an outer jacket to keep the chill-out and double-checking you had everything. “If it does, maybe I’ll ask you to be my date again…hopefully less formal though. All this is doing is stressing me out,” you admitted, before gesturing towards the door. “Let’s go be a cute couple that everyone will fawn over.”

More dates?

Sans offered his arm to you once you had locked your door, and you smiled warmly at him before accepting it.

“PERHAPS OUR NEXT DATE COULD BE JUST THE TWO OF US AT A NICE RESTAURANT,” he supplied, and your face blushed and you smiled cutely at him.

“As long as the dress code isn’t ‘Black Tie’, that sounds lovely,” you squeezed his arm lightly. “I’m free on Friday.”

Sans sputtered, _sputtered_, in surprise. He hadn’t thought you were actually serious about that, and your face crinkled slightly as you attempted to hold back a grin. Oh stars, you probably thought he was a dumbass now. He straightened and cleared his throat as he opened the passenger car door to you. Once you were in he allowed himself the walk around to the driver’s side to compose himself, and once inside he said, “I’LL HAVE TO CHECK MY SCHEDULE.”

“Papyrus says that you have nothing scheduled and ‘it’s about time’,” you said waving your phone at him, which made Sans blush.

“I DON’T KNOW WHAT HE’S TALKING ABOUT!”

“I do!” you said happily, “I’ve been trying to get you to ask me out on a date for a couple of months now, and Paps said that I just have to ask you out first, and once I do you’ll return the favour.”

Sans looked at you in surprise, “YOU KNEW?”

“Of course,” you smiled, “After you mentioned you drank boxed wine and then made a point to say a bunch of really fancy expensive wine types the next time we saw each other? I had to confirm it with Papyrus, and he was very tight-lipped…er, tight-teethed about it? Until I offered to buy him Muffet’s for a week. Your brother is really easy to pay off when it comes to useless stuff,” you added, and Sans’ brow bone raised even further.

“WHY DIDN’T YOU COME STRAIGHT TO ME?” he asked, starting the car, “IF YOU KNEW I HAD FEELINGS FOR YOU, WHY NOT JUST ASK ME DIRECTLY INSTEAD OF GOING TO MY BROTHER?”

“I don’t like going into things blind,” you pointed out, “Like this event? I spent that entire week looking up different outfits and reading a bunch of snobby blog posts until I had an idea of what was expected of me outfit wise.”

A human after his own SOUL.

“NEXT TIME I RECOMMEND PAYING HIM TWO WEEKS WORTH OF MUFFET’S AND HE MIGHT HAVE ACTUALLY PUT EFFORT INTO ASSISTING YOU,” Sans commented, his tone light and joking. You giggled.

“I’ll have to keep that in mind, now that we’re going to be going on dates,” you gave him a salacious wink before tapping the watch on your wrist. “Now, let’s go or we might have to be fashionable late.”

“BEING LATE IS NEVER FASHIONABLE, IT’S DISRESPECTFUL,” Sans pointed out before pulling out of the guest parking stall.

The night was everything he dreamed and more. It was clear from the first minute within the event that you weren’t considering him there as a friend, but as your actual date. Your hands were almost always touching him, whether having your arm wrapped around his, touching his elbow to get his attention, or leaning against him to whisper jokes during speeches. Then again, his own hands didn’t often leave you, but always polite and gentlemanly. On your lower back, resting on your shoulder lightly. Simple things that still made you blush softly and smile at him.

That look, the softest of blushes and the cutest of smiles made his SOUL throb.

Sans was many things; a superb strategist, an incredibly intelligent individual, and a ferocious fighter. But…he was also a lovestruck numbskull for you.


	14. Vacation (UT!Grillby/Reader)

“You’ve…never, ever, been on vacation?” you asked, trying to keep the incredulous surprise out of your voice but failing miserably. Grillby looked across the table at you, his fork halfway up to his mouth.

“…no?” he said, sounding genuinely confused by your surprise, “….why would I?”

“People have different reasons for vacations. My parents love to go for relaxation and to get away from it all, and I like to go to places to experience different cultures…and the older the buildings the better,” you shrugged a shoulder and took a bite of your breakfast. Ever since you’d moved in with Grillby, the two of you had breakfast just before sunrise and then would sip some sort of hot beverage while watching the sunrise. Then the two of you would typically go take a morning nap afterwards since Grillby got off work at his bar at 3 AM, and you just liked cuddling with him until you had to go to work.

“…I don’t need to relax….I’m always relaxed around you,” he said, making your heart skip a beat. You beamed over at him, face blushing slightly. “…and I’m used to ancient buildings.”

Oh, yeah…the Underground.

“Welp,” you gestured towards him with your fork, “you’re one of those rare people who don’t need a vacation.”

He nodded in agreement.

You swung your fork towards yourself, “but I am not like that. I’ve been thinking of going on a weeklong trip somewhere. I’ve been saving up since before we started dating and I think I’ve narrowed in on my vacation location.”

“Week-long?” he asked, surprisingly quick, without a raspy beginning. As if he was incredibly surprised, you frowned slightly as you jabbed your fork into your breakfast.

“Yeah, maybe a bit more depending on travel time. I don’t like going for a week but only having like 5 days because the other two are spent actually driving somewhere,” you explained before shrugging and eating some more of your breakfast in silence. Grillby had stopped eating, and you glanced back over to him from the plants on the window sill. “What’s wrong?”

“….where?”

“I was thinking Scotland, Japan, or doing a cruise,” you said, placing your fork down, “but you didn’t answer _my _question.”

Grillby made a noise that you had learned to be a grumble, a slightly deeper set of crackles. “…when?”

Still avoiding the question?

You knew that you’d have a rougher time getting him to answer if _you_ refused to answer his questions first. Stubborn old Elemental.

“I’ll probably go and see the travel agent my parents go to to see if I can get the best deal,” you shrugged your shoulder, “so I don’t know?”

Another grumble. Not really angry, more just contemplating, like he was talking to himself almost. You leaned your cheek against your hand and waited for him to speak again. His eyes stayed on yours before he sighed out sparks, a dramatic thing and quietly finished his breakfast. You waited until you were sure he wasn’t going to ask you any more questions before you finished yours as well. When you both were done, he got the hot drinks ready while you washed up the dishes from breakfast.

As you accepted your drink, he planted a soft kiss to your temple that made you smile softly and return it with a kiss to his jaw. He crackled happily before following you out to the roof.

Frost was clinging to everything already, and what used to be a cute garden and sitting area for the two of you was now just empty planters and a metal swinging bench. Grillby brought the pillow for the bench out and set it up before you settled down on top.

The sky was a lovely dusting of soft pinks, oranges, and even a couple of purple tones. Grillby settled in beside you, putting his arm around your shoulders while supporting his drink with his other hand. You tucked your feet underneath you as best you could, and allowed him to control the gentle swing of the seat.

You both were quiet for a while as you watched the sun gently crest above the horizon.

“…if you are going…I’d like to go as well,” Grillby said softly, looking down at you. You finished your sip and peered up at him.

“Going where?”

“…your vacation. If you’d let me,” he added the last part fairly quickly as to try to not step on your toes.

“Even the cruise?” you teased, kissing his jaw.

“…okay, not the cruise,” he amended with a smile. His fingers gently played with your hair and you cuddled further up against him, returning your gaze to the sunset.

“You’re more than welcome. I think you’d like Scotland the best…although, you’re way too tall for a lot of places that I want to go,” you teased. Grillby gave you a look.

“…I am ‘way too’ tall for most places here,” he pointed out, and you grinned.

“Exactly, tall boi,” you kissed his cheek and he huffed out a chuckle.

“…like that time we went to the amusement park,” he added.

You gave him an apologetic look, “I’m sorry, but the bar wouldn’t close because of your legs.”

Another laugh and he gave the softest tug on your hair, “…I’m not upset….I love every moment I spend with you.”

You blushed and he leaned over and nuzzled your temple gently, making you blush even more.

“Would you be okay flying over the ocean though?” you asked suddenly, and you felt him tense slightly beside you. The thought of the plane even needing to do an emergency water landing made you tense as well. You stared up at him, his mouth opened slightly and you quickly spoke over him, “you know what? Screw a long-distance vacation. Winter’s coming up, and I’ve been dying to do a winter get-a-way at a cute cabin. Besides, then it’s just you and me and a shit ton of snow.”

“…I have a better idea,” he murmured, “…I want to show you Snowdin.”

Your eyebrows flew up, and then you felt even shyer than you did before. “Yeah?”

Grillby nodded, “…yes….it’s fairly empty now…but I can show you my old bar…and everything…might be hard to get to with Waterfall but…I can do it.”

You kissed him, an actual kiss, and you felt him smile against your mouth. His hand rested gently on the back of your head to keep you close for a bit longer before you leaned back. But only just enough to look him in the eyes.

“I’d love that.”

You didn’t really care where you went on vacation if Grillby was with you, and for him to invite you down to a place he spent millennia trapped, and to literally cross an entire part of the Underground that was perpetually raining or wet? That was a big deal to you, and you knew it was to him.

“…I love you,” he said smooching your nose so you giggled. “…but we missed the sunrise.”

You shook your head, “I see you get up every morning, what are you talking about?”

It was his turn to blush, a soft blue tinge to his flames, and he dotted your face with kisses.

You couldn’t wait for this vacation.

A week alone with Grillby? No stress related to work? No barely getting to see each other because of conflicting schedules?

It was going to be the best vacation in your entire life…and you would make sure it was the best vacation Grillby would ever have.


	15. Soul (Gaster/Reader)

Souls.

Turns out they weren’t just a figurative thing as so many had thought, but an actual thing that was cumulative of your entire being. It was rare that any human ever saw theirs, but it was becoming less so. You, for one, had seen your SOUL. Hard not to when your husband was a monster who was fascinated by human SOULs. Of course, he never experimented on your SOUL nor did he ever ask to do so. He got all the funding at the University to research all about SOULs and everything else he wanted to do.

After all, it was hard to refuse funding to the world’s greatest mind…and possibly oldest mind.

That still hit you sometimes, that you were literally married to basically an ancient eldritch monster. A monster that many of your old teammates at the University had been afraid of at first.

Windings Gaster was pulled from the Void by Sans and your team at the university. It had been a big shock that it had actually worked, and a few of the teammates had fled the room in fright even though no monster had ever shown violent tendencies. Then again…when Gaster had first left the Void, he was not all pulled together. There was black goo that seeped from his bones and laid over his form as if a cloak, he had a painful grimace that was almost a smile on his face, and he…almost melted at the feeling of gravity.

Well, he had, just kind of slowly shrank into the ground and the goo spread.

It took him a while to be able to shake off the goo, stand straight, and have a different expression other than pain on his face. Each step of the way Sans and you had helped him through it with all the research that had been done on SOULs. His SOUL was fragmented still but you could see evidence in small wisps of magic attempting to rebind his SOUL back together.

Sans took him to re-meet Papyrus, and the moment he came back and Sans showed you Gaster’s SOUL readings, you knew that Gaster would make a full recovery. No matter how many years it would take him.

It actually came as a surprise to you how quickly Gaster recovered once he moved in with Papyrus and Sans. A weekend had past and the next Monday as you were sipping coffee and going over your notes to refresh your mind, he walked into the lab with Sans…in a suit! You were floored by the change in the skeleton as well. He no longer was the short, goopy skeleton who seemed to melt slightly if you smiled at him too warmly, as if it heated up the black goo. He was incredibly tall compared to you, thin too. It made you start to wonder why Sans was so short instead of wondering why Papyrus was so tall compared to their father. The face that was cracked and splintered from various points in his life now freely smiled, frowned, scowled, or smirked during conversations.

Gaster spoke in hands, and not the typical sign language that you were used to seeing. His voice was silent but still seemed to permeate through your skull in an eerie way but he could not read your thoughts.

You remembered the first time he had flirted with you, it was _so_ bad that you hadn’t even realized that he was. Not…that you normally realized people were flirting with you, but you extra didn’t notice. Actually, you had been focused on your work so you had just kinda hummed in response and then started talking to Sans about your findings.

The first time you had flirted back, he somehow seemed to melt again. You had freaked out thinking that his SOUL had reverted but he had said, “no, my dear, the void is a part of me forever. I simply learned to control it.”

My dear.

The first time he called you that but never the last.

After a while, it felt like you were the one to begin melting whenever he complimented you or said something stupidly sweet. He encouraged your own research projects and never made you feel like an idiot if he knew something you didn’t. It was always a conversation or debate with him, but he never talked down to you, which was a nice change of pace from some of your coworkers.

It wasn’t even either of you to ask the other out. Papyrus had invited you over to their place for dinner and then he and Sans mysteriously had to go and do something VERY important, immediately, and no neither of you could help. Though, he was not very subtle about attempting to get you two to treat the dinner as a date. Considering that the dining room was lit with candles, and there were rose petals everywhere.

You and Gaster had taken it in stride, joking about it, but by the end of the night, both of you were treating it like it was a date. He even walked you to your car and kissed your freaking hand like the gentleman he was.

You had blushed, stammered, gotten into your car and let out a happy squeal. Which he could hear, and gently teased you about it the next time you saw him.

Gaster had proposed to you after you had successfully gotten funding by yourself for a project. That hadn’t happened before, and you had been over the moon with excitement…until you realized that it was indeed a project that you were heading and you’d either succeed or you’d fail…and if you failed you just wasted University money and it was a whole thing including tears and worrying that you should’ve waited a few more years until you had done more research and that maybe you would never be able to lead a team, as well as Sans or Gaster, were able to.

He had merely listened to your rant, giving gentle encouragement or disapproval to your negative statements before sitting you down and telling you, “Your worries are unfounded, but I will not discredit your feelings as they are a part of who you are. However, you are also intelligent and enthusiastic, and your work reflects that tremendously. You have been wanting this for longer than I have known you, and you will lead your team amazingly. Plus, I have already calculated your chances of successfully completing this project and the odds are incredibly in your favour.”

You gave him a look, “would you tell me if the odds weren’t in my favour?”

He looked at you for a long moment, head tilted ever so slightly before he nodded. “Yes, but I would have told you before and said that my calculations are based upon hypotheticals as I cannot predict the future.”

“But because they’re in my favour, you can predict the future?” you teased, and he smirked.

“Of course, I am very brilliant after all,” he squeezed your hands, “and so is my datemate.”

You had leaned forward and smooched his cheekbone.

“Though…there is one question that I am still attempting to solve if you could help me?” he said, gesturing towards his study. You frowned slightly but nodded. That was strange for him to ask someone to help him solve something, normally he’d just sit and ponder forever over one question. Not that he didn’t trust other brains, but he was just the kind of monster who preferred to stretch his own mind to the limit. If he didn’t get the question, you weren’t sure if you’d be able to.

But! There was always the chance that he’d been studying it for too long and was merely missing a step or two.

So, you followed him in.

You studied the chalkboard before glancing over at him, “okay? Uh…why don’t you get this?”

“I need a second opinion,” he said simply, gesturing to the chalkboard.

You gave him a look, this was easy shit…but you solved it anyways for him…

“Okay??” you said stepping back and looking over at him, “Dings you okay?”

He gave you a whithered look at the nickname, but he then double-checked the problem quickly and then gave a fake surprised gasp. “Oh! No! Sorry, my dear, this was the wrong side.”

“Okay, seriously. You never make mistakes like this, are you okay???” you had asked, becoming concerned.

He ushered you back a step before flipping the blackboard around.

“This is the question I need help with,” he gestured towards the blackboard.

_Will You Marry Me?_

Your heart jumped into your throat, and you remember distinctly calling him the biggest fucking dork you’d ever met before you threw yourself at your datemate turned fiancé.

The next day, Sans had approached you during work and had chuckled and said, “ya know, i asked you to help restore his SOUL, not fall for it.”


	16. Zombies (HT!Sans/Reader)

“what the fuck….?” Sans grumbled, and you glanced up from your phone and over to him. His eye light had shrunk significantly, and you turned to see what was freaking him out on the television. A shambling zombie lifted its head up from a corpse and screamed. “fuck that! turn it off!”

You quickly grabbed the remote and turned the television off, and glanced over at him with deep concern. It was now getting close to Halloween, and you hadn’t even thought about zombie movies coming out and the trailers that came with it. Not even just the zombie movies…but all the ‘monsters are bad’ movies that typically came with a spooky Halloween season.

“Sorry,” you blurted out, “I didn’t think…”

“s’not your fault,” he said, but his voice had quickly become emotionless, and he was staring at his clenched fists in his lap. You saw the giant crimson orb that was his single functioning eye light was quavering as it shrunk and filled rapidly. He was trying to keep a hold of reality hard, and you placed your phone down quietly on the table. “s’not your fault….weren’t even watchin’…s’not like you coulda warned me.”

“I should’ve been,” you insisted, shifting slightly closer to him and reaching out towards him. “They’re an old, old, stupid idea,” you mumbled, “and it’s stupid that they’re still making films about it.”

There was a moment where he didn’t move, and his head just slowly turned towards you to look down at them. Then, his hand reached out and you grasped his large on with both of yours. He gave the softest of tugs and you shuffled over on the couch until you were tucked into his side. His arm looped around your shoulders, still holding onto your hand. For a moment the two of you stayed just like that, but then he hauled you into his lap and curled around you.

There was a soft quaking to his body, and you released one of your hands from the grip on his hand, to reach up and caress his cheek. He tucked his face in the side of your neck and let out a shaky breath. You merely continued to stroke his face.

“Are you hungry? It’s almost dinner,” you pointed out, keeping your voice neutral. He was always hungry…but you both knew you meant ‘are you hungrier?’. Surprisingly, he shook his head. You stayed where you were, and then started telling him about your day even if he was there for most of it. He listened quietly, holding you in his large arms, and the quaking slowed to nothing. But you knew that it wasn’t a sign that he was fully back and aware.

Eventually, his arms shifted around you and he stood up, cradling you in his arms. He slowly walked over to the kitchen and placed you gently on the counter.

“you’re hungry though,” he stated, voice a lower octave and sounded gruffer than normal. His eyelight was still wavering.

It took you a moment before you realized he was responding to your previous question about dinner, but you didn’t point out the time delay.

“Can you make me a bagel?” you asked, and he nodded getting out the required items and popped it into the toaster at your preferred toast level. You held out your arms towards him and he shuffled back into your embrace. “Thank you.”

“let’s only watch netflix…no commercials,” he suggested, searching your face slowly. You nodded.

“Or! We can watch those cool cooking youtube videos you like,” you suggested, “I’m sure we can go down a youtube rabbit hole and find some cool shit. Free of zombies and the like.”

“…zombies?” he asked.

“Uh…those..things,” you gestured towards the living room and mentally kicking yourself for bringing it up.

He slowly nodded, and you could see the wheels in his head slowly churning. The toaster finished, and it took him an extra few seconds to react to it, and start spreading your favourite toppings onto the bagel. It would take him a while to get back to his normal reaction speed, and you weren’t going to point it out to him. All _that_ did was make him feel like he should already be back to ‘normal’ and then he’d start to spiral into his self-hatred thoughts, and those were the worst days.

You kissed the side of his head and he paused what he was doing just to lean over and nuzzle your face gently. You smiled, and after he slid the plate with the bagel over to you, you offered him the second half. His face softened and his eye light stopped shifting so much, besides briefly shifting into a large crimson heart. That made your own smile widen.

You’d be sending out a message to your other monster friends to avoid televisions for the next month…maybe next two months, just in case.

Yeah, many monsters went to therapy about their time in the Underground. But you knew that there was a difference between being able to properly prepare yourself for something that could trigger an emotional or physical response, and having that trigger suddenly in your face with no time to prepare. You didn’t want the others going through the same thing as Sans was going through…and it made your chest hurt to think that he was comparing himself to a twisted, mindless creature who wanted to eat brains.

He didn’t have a choice, he had to eat what he did to survive. It was a last resort….not a bioweapon that caused his mind to become constantly hungry for human flesh or brains or whatever it was that zombies were eating nowadays.

Sans couldn’t even look at raw meat without freaking out and getting as far away from it as he could.

You kissed his face again, “I love you,” you murmured, “so much.”

The haunted look in his face eased even the slightest, and you nuzzled his face.

Any little bit helped.


	17. Affection (US!Papyrus/Reader)

It had taken you a while to figure out how Papyrus showed his affection. His brother was always so boisterous with those he cared about, constantly telling them that he thought they were amazing and that they can do it! Papyrus on the other hand, while occasionally giving out that verbal support, was…pretty different. You had pegged him as shy when you first met him, especially compared to Sans.

Papyrus was always portrayed as this lazy guy, but you knew that he was more calm and casual than lazy. His mind was always working, taking in everything everyone said and processing it insanely quickly. He was always quick with a quip or joke, even if he remained the quieter of the two brothers. The thing was, that he preferred just listening to people because then he could understand them better.

When the two of you started dating, it had been a bit of a slow start full of mutual pining and embarrassing moments that made you both cringe recalling them. However, you had quickly learned that whenever you two did end up having a bit of an argument, if it wasn’t resolved quickly he’d start to do little extra things around the house. If you were out of your favourite snacks? They were replenished. Your controllers that were left out after you had finished playing games? They’d be charging on their stand without you having done so.

Just small almost insignificant things.

You learned, however, that while he did appreciate it if you did the same thing back, he was more appreciative if you were to tell him how much you appreciated him and loved him. So, every time you noticed when he did something for you without you asking or even thinking of needing to do that, you genuinely thanked him and made sure he was aware of how much you appreciated him. How much you loved him for his thoughtfulness.

Every time, he’d blush and look absolutely jovial for the next couple hours…his grin slightly bigger, eyes softer and full of warmth.

However, as you learned how to make him feel appreciated and show him affection. He learned the same about you.

He learned that you craved intimacy, and not even the sexual kind just casual intimacy…and without you even needing to say anything, he’d started to just…touch you. When you were reading together, he’d put his head on your lap or toss his arm leisurely over the back of the couch and have his fingertips gently resting on your shoulder. In bed, the two of you would always fall asleep cuddling and wake up earlier than your alarms just to cuddle more.

Small things that he had seemed to pick up immediately, and you were jealous of his ability to read other people like that.

You’d learned that each person had their own way of showing their love and affection, and each person preferred a different way to receive love and affection. No way was wrong, and it was easy to accommodate for other people.

Where you once were shy about telling someone how much you loved them and cared about them, you could now just look over at Papyrus in the middle of reading and tell him he was incredibly handsome and that you loved him. Where he was once very reserved with his physical affection, he now took every opportunity to give you kisses, nuzzles, caresses, or hugs. It took a bit of time…but now you couldn’t be happier.

You loved Papyrus, and you knew for sure that he loved you just as fiercely back.


	18. Date (HT!Papyrus/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a continuation of Fall Fashion (I know they're supposed to be one-shots but I couldn't help myself!!!!)

It was finally date night! It felt like it had been forever since he had asked you out after you had purchased your sweater. You absolutely adored the sweater and wore as often as possible, which was quite frankly a lot.

Of course, your stomach was full of nervous flutters as you adjusted your outfit for the fiftieth time in the closet mirrors by your apartment door. You were pretty sure this was a cute outfit, and you were wearing the Halloween sweater you had bought! So, it was a bonus! You’d added some cute accessories, and bam! Cute date night outfit!

You preened yourself a few more times before the doorbell ring. Exactly at 6:30 like he said. You’d been ready for about twenty minutes now, those first date jitters always got to you. However, you were going out with someone who’d been your friend for a while now and you weren’t going to let your nerves get in front of your excitement. So, you hurried over to the door and opened it, smiling up at him.

“Right on time,” you said happily, allowing him to step into your home. He had to duck to enter, but the large grin on his face just grew as he took in your outfit. There was a faint blush decorating his cheeks that made your own cheeks heat up.

“YOU’RE BEAUTIFUL,” he praised happily, “AND YOU LOOK EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL TODAY.”

Okay, you were definitely blushing deeply now. You weren’t great at accepting compliments, so you dropped your gaze from his and shyly thanked him before complimenting him as well. He was always stylish, and today was no exception. However, he was a bit more subdued than normal which made you curious…but you also didn’t want to draw attention to that if he simply wanted to be more subdued.

“You’re looking extra handsome today as well,” you said shyly as you made sure you had everything before bashfully meeting his gaze once again, “so…um…shall we?”

“WE SHALL!” he said joyfully, holding the door open for you. You followed him out into the hall and then accepted his offered arm once you made sure your door was closed and locked.

You honestly didn’t even think to ask where he was taking you as he had constantly stated that it was a surprise. Thankfully, he did include a text that told you to dress casually. However, you had still wanted to dress up a bit for _him _rather than the venue. Now that you were walking arm in arm, you didn’t care what you did as long as you were spending time with him.

He filled you in on everything that had happened since you had last seen him all the way to the car. When you asked how Sans was doing, that nearly took up the entire ride with his enthusiasm about how Sans was improving and had actually managed to become a full-time volunteer at a shelter relatively close to their home. You were pleased with the news, Sans had trouble focusing for stretches of time and became closed off if anyone pointed it out. The fact that he had something to do? Well, you were happy for him, and Papyrus was proud of his older brother as well.

The conversation easily turned towards you with equal enthusiasm from Papyrus as he asked you all about your life since you had last seen him, and that was prior to even just seeing him in the store. You hadn’t really talked too much about what you had been up to over text or a couple of phone calls because your life hadn’t really changed all that much.

Papyrus finally directed you to park and you glanced at the building nearby. You were in the University district, and you glanced over at him curiously.

“I Booked Us A Couple Cooking Class,” he explained upon seeing your inquiring look. No wonder he said to dress casually, and why he was so dressed down compared to normal. You saw his fingers inching towards his top to start fiddling with it, so, you reached over and grasped one.

“That’s awesome!” you said, allowing the excitement to seep out as you spoke. His eye lights landed on you and he grinned happily.

“GREAT! LET’S HEAD IN!” he chirped happily, climbing out of your car. 

After signing in and being directed to your station, you giddily held onto Papyrus’ hand and the two of you chattered away about how fun this was going to be. It was going to be a four-course meal, and they had offered wine but you declined as you were both the driver and you didn’t drink normally. Papyrus also declined the wine because he said that he wasn’t a fan of drinking.

Once the rest of the couples were present, the class began.

It was so much fun! Cooking with someone else whom you enjoyed the company of, was delightful. You took over all the cooking of the meat as you _knew _Papyrus wasn’t comfortable around raw meat, and he resolutely kept his face turned towards the counter as he focused on his task. The moment it was cooked, however, he was back to glancing over at you and complimenting you on practically everything. Or giving you a gentle nudge towards proper techniques.

Hell, the teacher leading the class was even impressed by Papyrus. Though you did see there was a bit of discomfort in the teacher around Papyrus, you didn’t mention it. Nor did you let it affect _you_, because you knew for a fact Papyrus was aware of the teacher and he wasn’t letting it affect him. By the end of the night, you were full of delicious food, you had new recipes to cook, and you had spent three hours with your favourite skeleton. It was a great night. You sighed contently as you relaxed into your car seat after buckling up.

“That was…incredible,” you admitted looking over at Papyrus as he shifted until he was comfortable in his seat. “We should totally do that again someday. I’d like to try the cheese-making class too!”

Papyrus face brightened, which you hadn’t noticed until then that it wasn’t at it’s fullest. “AGAIN?”

“Yeah! I mean, our next date doesn’t have to be a cooking class again. It could be anything! I think I have a place I’d like to take _you_ to next time,” you said excitedly, turning on your car with a big grin. Then your face fell slightly, “That is…uh if you…if you want to go on another date?”

“OF COURSE! WHY WOULDN’T I?” Papyrus said, reaching over and placing a hand on your forearm. You peered over at him, and then shrugged slightly.

“Just…didn’t want to assume anything,” you insisted, giving him a large smile. “I for one, would love to go on many more dates with you.”

His grin widened, before announcing quite loudly, “I AM SO HAPPY!”

You giggled, “Me too, Paps! But uh..why were you looking not _as _happy when you got in the car?”

Papyrus’ face grew a bit bashful, “Oh, Because I Was Worried That You Wouldn’t Have Enjoyed Yourself. You Didn’t Say Much As We Left The Class.”

Oh…shit.

“Sorry! I just, crowds make me nervous,” you winced slightly, “Uhm…there were a lot of people crowded near the door and I just wanted to get to the car.”

There was a soft frown on his face, “I Didn’t Know That About You.”

“That’s…because I tend not to say anything about it. Usually, more than about four other people and I start to get nervous. Don’t know why, but it happens,” you said casually, attempting to brush it off. “Anyways, I did really enjoy the actual cooking aspect and getting to spend more time with you.”

That little tidbit of information was squirrelled away in Papyrus’ brain immediately, and he gave your arm the gentlest of squeezes before releasing you. He could’ve done the thing you _hated _which was when people make it a point to try to reassure you that being nervous in crowds is you making a big deal out of nothing, or to try to tell you that they totally understand it and that they hate it when there are lots of people around as well. He gave you a warm smile instead, and said, “I’ll Keep That In Mind, and…I Enjoyed Tonight Too.”

You returned the smile, “I’ll drive you home.”

He pouted a bit, “But I Wanted To Walk You To Your Door.”

“But I don’t want you walking alone in the dark,” you retorted, and you started to pull out of your parking spot.

“I Don’t Think There Is Much Out There That Would Try To Do Anything Against Me,” Papyrus said, rather drily. You peeked over at him and then smiled.

“I suppose not, but…humor me?” you asked, and he sighed dramatically. “I’ll walk you to your door? Then you can walk me back to my car,” you teased and he laughed.

“EXCELLENT PLAN!”

On the way, you did stop off at a fast-food joint to pick something up for Sans, and Papyrus’ face practically shone with affection and he was gushing about how thoughtful you were. Honestly, you were doing it more because you hadn’t seen Sans yet and you weren’t sure how he was going to react to you dating his brother. Might as well sweeten it by offering food. Sans was always wary around humans, and you were _no_ exception…even if he had loosened up around you a bit more.

At the brother’s house, you cut the engine and escorted him to the door. He beamed down at you and opened his mouth to say something when the door opened and Sans leaned against the doorframe. He scratched at his sternum, glancing between the two of you with a grin. You held up the fast-food bag and drink, which his large single eye light dropped down to look at. He reached out, accepted it, and then nodded.

“carry on.”

Then the door closed once again.

Papyrus sighed heavily, “NOSY BONES!”

You giggled and quickly put your finger up to your mouth and made a shushing noise. “It’s late, Paps,” you reminded him with a fond smile.

“Oh! Right!” he said, voice returning to a quieter tone and shooting an apologetic look at the surrounding houses as if someone would be peeking out the window. Which they very well could be.

“Thanks for the wonderful night, Papyrus,” you said quietly, “I look forward to our future dates.”

“Me Too! Oh! And Just So You Know. I Cannot Kiss Because I Don’t Have Any Lips!” he said, giving _you _an apologetic look. “So I Cannot Give You A Kiss Goodbye.”

“That’s alright,” you said, before gesturing for him to lean down, “come here though!”

He leaned down, and you gave him a lingering kiss on his cheekbone before bonking your forehead against his lightly. “I can give you as many smooches as you want.”

A blush burst along Papyrus’ cheekbones as he let out a cute giggle before gently nuzzling his forehead against yours. “I Can Live With That!”

“Goodnight, Papyrus,” you smiled, planting another kiss to his other cheek before taking a step towards your car. He stopped you and looped your arm back around his.

“I Believe You Said I Would Walk You Back To Your Car!” he retorted, “And I Am Nothing If Not A Gentlemonster!”

You tittered softly and leaned your head against his arm. “You are the gentlemonsterliest gentlemonster,” you said, ignoring how the word ‘gentlemonsterliest’ stumbled out of your mouth awkwardly. It didn’t seem to go noticed by Papyrus, but he was more likely ignoring the fumble.

“I AM!” he said, louder than he probably meant to but you just smiled.

He opened the driver’s door with a flourish and gestured in.

“Thank you!” you said with a giggle, and you slipped in. When you turned to say goodnight, he leaned down and pressed his teeth against your cheek in a faux-kiss.

“You’re Very Welcome. Text Me When You Get Into Your Apartment! Goodnight, Dearest,” he said, and you actually swooned a little.

“I will,” you promised before he gently closed the door and moved back onto the sidewalk. The two of you waved before you drove off back towards your apartment.

Nothing could ruin this night.


	19. Opposites (UF!Grillby/Reader)

The first time went to Grillby’s was at the request of a friend of yours because you had mentioned casually that you had met the owner of the monster bar out and about in the city. You had to clarify that you weren’t precisely BFF's and that you didn’t know if Grillby would even notice or care that you were there. However, the moment the two of you stepped into the bar, a monster came up to you and directed you two to a private booth on the upper levels — the real VIP shit. Grillby had ‘graced’ you with his presence, and spent the next two hours flirting hardcore with your best friend who had retaliated back.

Another reason you hated bars. When your friends spent more time with a random guy than with you, the person they came with.

When she had excused herself to go to the washroom, Grillby had shifted his focus onto you.

“Not drinking tonight?” he had asked, leaning back against the plush booth seats in the kind of way that a man who thinks he’s every person’s wet dream does. At that point, you had all of two drinks, both of which were non-alcoholic. You shook your head and returned your focus blandly towards the mass of human and monster bodies writhing below on the dance floor. This was more of a club than a bar…which you hated even more. Too noisy. Too warm. Made worse by the fire elemental sitting in reasonable proximity to you.

That was what set off Grillby’s interest in you. The absolute disinterest in him or his bar. He admitted later that it was mostly due to him wanting the chase, see if he could worm his way into your good graces and see if it led somewhere…preferably with a bed. When he informed you of that, you merely raised your eyebrow at him and admitted that you were rarely into someone sexually until you’d developed actual feelings for them and that while he was very attractive…you didn’t give a shit about getting him into your bed.

After that first time, you’d gone to his club/bar a few more times with your friend, except much earlier in the day. When it was before the club crawlers appeared and it was quieter, and you could have a meal there…you know, when it was actually a bar and not a club. (Grillby still insists that it is not a club. No matter how many times you explained the difference.)

You remember how jealous Grillby had been when you had made quick friends with Sans. Which, when Grillby had grumbled about that, you said that Sans was funny and while flirty didn’t intend to bed you. Unlike someone else. Grillby had complained as he strode away, saying that if _he_ couldn’t bed you, Sans had no chance. You had merely snorted at that...and part of you wanted to try to convince Sans into pretending to take you home just to piss off Grillby. Sans was funny, a great conversationalist, and you didn’t balk at him drinking mustard which _he_ found hilarious

(‘_cus, seriously, dollface_, _who t’fuck doesn’t react ta someone drinking straight mustard? normally grosses people out.’_

_‘I have a sister who, in high school, would drink ketchup straight from the bottle. Practically the same thing in my eyes.’_

_‘holy shit, girl after my own soul. wanna introduce me?’_

_‘Not really.’)_.

Of course, after hanging out with Sans a few times, he had questioned why you weren’t into Grillby. After reiterating that you knew he was just trying to bed you so that lessened your interest in him. However, peering over at Grillby flirting shamelessly with one of the patrons, you had then admitted that…you weren’t comfortable around guys who were notorious flirts. You’d dated one flirt in the past…and that he had…cheated on you. There was no way that you and Grillby could work in any fashion, casual or long-term. Sans had gotten a rare serious look on his face and said, “grillbz is nothin’ if he ain’t loyal. tch. purple bastard has some standards.”

“I…good to know?” you said, frowning slightly, but then you had met Grillby’s eyes from across the bar, and blushed when he winked saucily at you with that big stupid smirk on his face. The single thought of ‘What if?” flitting through your mind before you squashed it instantly, and looked back at Sans. The conversation had thrown you for a loop more than anything…and you had left the bar shortly after. It didn’t matter what Sans said. You weren’t going to just swoon into Grillby’s arms because he flirted with you…no one else would ever do that to you again. 

Unfortunately, or perhaps fortunately, you’d been dragged to the bar once again by your friend a couple of months after that conversation with Sans. For once, it seemed like your friend was going to stay with you the entire night; you even got her chatting with Sans at the bar. Then, she had started flirting with someone, and she was gone. After being abandoned by your friend, you just sat with Sans and joked around with him. At least here, you never lacked a friend, and you felt less nervous in the crowd of beings. Unfortunately, a fight broke out across the bar and Sans ported off to deal with it. You saw Grillby's purple flames shift blue from across the bar as it went deathly quiet. The monsters that had started the fight fled as if Grillby _had_ lit their asses on fire. It took all of a second before Grillby's flames shifted back to purple, and he strode up the stairs back to his VIP section with Sans behind him. The atmosphere returned to normal, and you were about to leave when a friendly monster struck up a conversation with you…and casually mentioned how different Grillby was now, and how he ‘hasn’t killed anyone since coming to the Surface.’

You knew from the news that the Underground unfortunately operated with the motto ‘Kill or Be Killed’…but you never truly thought any of the friendly monsters you met could ever be capable of murder. You’d started to think that it had been something the media made up to make people hate monsters or feel sorry for them. You never thought it was true.

Until then.

It was probably one of the biggest turn-offs you’d _ever_ had towards someone. 

You'd started to avoid him after you had heard that…and he had stayed away from you as well. Even though he later would say that he was grumpy that you were avoiding him because he missed seeing you around. However, one day, the two of you had bumped into each other, and he hadn't even given you a chance to say anything before he asked why you were avoiding him. Of course, it wasn't outright; he wouldn't have ever admitted at that point that your actions would cause _him_ any grief. It was more subtle, but you got the implication rather easily. So, you answered the question he was trying to ask. He then asked for a few minutes for him to defend himself. You had retorted you didn’t think a murderer could ‘defend’ their reasoning. He had agreed but re-asked for a few minutes. You…reluctantly said, yes. Not because you were afraid that if you said no, he’d take it badly. In fact, even then, you knew if you said ‘no’ he’d respect it.

Yes. Grillby had killed before. He’d once been a General in the Human-Monster War, but eventually…the Underground twisted the monsters. He was already a fairly high LV monster, and for a while, no one bothered him or anyone near him. However, once monsters started to increase in LV…they started to become more foolish and bold. The first monster he killed in the Underground was because they attempted to take the life of a friend of his (who later died during another attack). At first, he’d killed only in defence if the other monster wasn’t backing down. Eventually, he lost some of his morals, and he killed a few monsters as an example…and then he didn’t need to kill anymore especially when his once red flames became twisted by his LV and became violet.

Then…one day, a human child wandered into his bar with Sans, sat at the bar…and the other monsters in his bar simply smiled warmly at the child and did nothing. The once ravenous dog monsters almost begged for pets from the small human child. They had shown the monsters of Snowdin that kindness would always win against violence.

It had been the first of many nights that Grillby had…almost Fallen Down. His morals were lost. He’d killed because he could…and not to defend those he cared about. All that he knew, every Knightly part of him had fallen, and he didn’t think he’d ever get that back.

Grillby said that he’d completely understand if you didn’t want to be near him…and then added that he didn’t want you to tell anyone what he just told you…about the whole Falling Down thing and the self-hatred. He had an image he _needed_ to maintain…even if he didn’t want to anymore.

You hadn’t been about to throw yourself into his arms and tell him you were going to help fix him…but it was an unsteady start that quickly grew into the most stable thing you had.

It had taken nearly three years for you to notice that he was actively trying to change his way of thinking. It really hit you how _hard_ he was trying when he told you he _was_ in therapy for everything he’d done (though he once again insisted you didn’t tell _anyone._ Not even Sans.) You realized that you had fallen for him completely all of the sudden one day, and that you didn't want to fall for anyone else. Still, you were secretly nervous that it was all an act and that he wasn't as changed as you were thinking, or that your mind was trying to convince you otherwise. Once again, it was Sans who said something off-handedly that made you reconsider how you saw Grillby. 

_“grillbz’s always been a big asshole…but he’s more likely ta grit his teeth and try ta talk monsters now into apologizin’ for slights against his purple ass. s’weird seein’ that y’know? being able ta see the sun must’a helped him.”_

Then…about six months after that conversation. Grillby asked you on a date. No flirting. No lead-up. No clever words. Just…

“Would you like to go on a date?”

That was it.

It honestly…shocked you, and for a moment, you hadn’t said anything.

Then you said ‘Sure’…and you had yet to regret that answer.

A year and a half later, you were content with your relationship with the prickly purple fire monster who sometimes came to your apartment at three in the morning because he closed up the bar and didn’t want to go home to an empty apartment. You learned quickly that the reason he had a bar was to be surrounded by people…and that he hated loneliness.

Which…you did too…and eventually, you gave him a key to your apartment. When he quietly slipped into bed next to you, wrapping his warm, strong arms around you? You were never more relaxed then you were when the two of you were cuddling in bed.

Grillby had said many times at the beginning of your relationship to him that if anything he said or did make you uncomfortable? Tell him when you felt comfortable doing so, whether that was immediate, when the two of you were alone, or text it to him. Eventually, the two of you figured each other out enough that he could just glance at you and assess if you were cool with whatever was happening…but that still didn’t stop him from checking in with you.

The first time you two had sex, you had initiated it when he came to your apartment after he was finished work. He’d kissed your shoulder, slid his hand over your stomach to rest on your hip and pulled you closer for a cuddle. You had curled against him and gently guided his hand further over. He had whispered, asking if you really wanted to go there, and you had said ‘yes’ and that you were ready.

It had been slow and languid, full of sleepy kisses that grew hungry and then sleepy once again.

Yet…there was still something off between the two of you…and a conversation with your mother set off your relationship anxiety.

_“You two are so different…it makes me worry about the long-term for you. Who knows what he’s doing at that bar? He’s very…flirtatious. I’d hate to see you get hurt again. To be honest, I don’t even know what you see in him…and what does he see in you? You’re too innocent for him…”_

Those words had been bouncing through your head all day after getting off the phone with your mother. During the weekend, you’d finally introduced Grillby to your parents, thinking they’d be accepting of your relationship at the very least. They’d never been the kind of parents to question your relationships or try to involve themselves in your love life. Then again, you’d only introduced them to one other of your significant others before, and that relationship hadn’t turned out well.

As much as you didn’t want them to, the words wormed their way into your thoughts every time you were given a spare moment to think. Slowly consuming your mind and whispering wicked thoughts into your conscious that made you start to doubt…everything.

Grillby, your boyfriend of roughly a year and a half, was your polar opposite. While he was known for flirting with nearly everything that moved, you rarely flirted with anyone no matter how attractive you found them. Hell, when someone flirted with you, you couldn’t form a coherent thought for a few seconds while you blushed like mad.

Even with the whole bar thing, you were opposites. He thrived in his bar. He loved it and had said multiple times that if he didn’t own a bar, he would’ve found one just to hang out in. As for you? You _hated_ the bar scene. All the noise, the smell of sweat and booze, the feeling of too many bodies in too small of a space, the overall heat? It drove your anxiety straight through the roof.

Where you were shy and quiet, he was outgoing and boisterous…in a way that grated a lot of people’s nerves. Over the five years, you’d known him, he’d gotten into more fights than you had fingers on your hands all over stupid things that you’d argue with him that it wasn’t worth it. You, on the other hand, couldn’t even get into a verbal confrontation without bursting into tears, and you would rather capture bugs and let them go outside than kill them.

However…what people didn’t understand, but you did, was that just because you were so different than Grillby didn’t mean that your relationship couldn’t work.

He was an insane flirt, yes that was incredibly true…however, you’d never seen or heard him flirt with anyone else when you two fully committed yourselves to the relationship. Sure, he’d throw a casual compliment or other to someone, like had to your mother as that was in his nature. The thing was, you knew the difference between him trying to appease someone else or get them to buy into whatever it was he was selling, and actually flirting with him. It was all in his body language. A single compliment, said at more than arm's length distance? That sure as hell wasn’t Grillby flirting.

When he was flirting with someone he was interested in, he’d lean in close and keep the conversation between the two of them. You’d seen it many times first hand, quiet compliments and flirtatious remarks that were only meant for you to hear. He’d offer free drinks to those he was either interested in or close to, with a flair to show off.

Plus, the conversation with Sans from years previous soothed your fears. Of course, you'd never really discussed your past relationships with Grillby, because he certainly never mentioned any of his past lovers. It was actually Sans, the meddling skeleton, who informed Grillby of your cheating ex-boyfriend one day. You had left the bar when Grillby had started showing off to some college girls while you were in the bar…and you had gotten uncomfortable. Sans had apparently waved Grillby over and quietly informed the elemental about the situation. That had been at the start of your relationship with Grillby, and you were trying to work up the nerve to actually talk to him about it because you were nervous that he'd take it the wrong way. Your fears were unfounded. Apparently, the knowledge had lit up the rage in Grillby at your ex for daring to betray your trust like that (which surprised you because he’d come knocking on your door at like three in the morning, so you were tired and watching him rant and rave and then you had simply gone back to bed (in the morning you two had an actual discussion about it where you explained everything that happened.))

Then....you introduced Grillby to your parents. Everything seemed to be going great! Grillby was an utter gentleman to your parents, complimented your mother and father both equally, assisted when he wasn't asked, and, the most surprising, didn't make any dirty jokes. However, a few days later, you had gotten a call from your mother.

_“You two are so different…it makes me worry about the long-term for you. Who knows what he’s doing at that bar? He’s very…flirtatious. I’d hate to see you get hurt again. To be honest, I don’t even know what you see in him…and what does he see in you? You’re too innocent for him…”_

The more you thought on your mother’s words…the more you became incensed that she had even dared to say that. Grillby was nothing like your ex. At all.

Sure, Grillby could be a huge asshole sometimes and had come to your apartment dishevelled more times than you could count from fights, but he was a huge softie on the inside. He’d get flowers delivered to you when he was working, and you texted him to vent about your bad day. If you were feeling ill, he’d send you some soup he made via Sans (who would complain about having to do it but then would text you later to see if you were feeling any better (they’re both big softies, even if they both denied it when you mentioned it)). Your ex wasn't attentive, and the most you heard from him when you were sick was '_oh no that sucks babe'_. Grillby actually gave a fuck about you.

You were fuming about it, curled up on the couch in your apartment, watching your favourite Netflix series. How dare she say that?

But then...the two main characters in the show confessed their love to each other, and something in your brain...clicked, and not in a good way.

A year and a half and neither you nor Grillby had ever said ‘I love you.’

That combined with your mother's words just snapped something inside of you, and tears had burst forth, and you were unable to stop them as all your insecurities just flooded to the surface. Maybe you two were too different? Maybe he had stuck it out for the long run just for the chase. Maybe he kept coming back just to have sex? Maybe, maybe, maybe. They kept swelling and churning up deeper and deeper insecurities until you were a mess and thinking about the worse case scenarios. 

Thankfully, that was when Grillby had crept into your apartment after the bar had been closed up. It was late, and he had been surprised that you were still awake, and even more surprised that your face was tear-stained and you were drowning your sorrows in ice-cream. He’d kissed away your tears until you were giggling at the feeling of them evaporating off your skin, and he was kissing down your neck to rid the tears that had escaped his careful smooches.

“What the hell’s got you so…leaky,” he grumbled, tilting your head up towards his. You quietly, and through more unshed tears, told him what your mother had said. The flames on his head shrunk slightly, and his flames deepened and become slightly more blue in colour. You felt the smallest bit of heat increase, and you knew he was furious. He released your face gently before he leaned back, and started rubbing at his own face. “God damn woman…compliment someone, and they think you’re flirting with them. For fucks…I own the bar, what does she think I’m doing? Fuckin…I’m making drinks all night and listening to stupid assholes make stupid pick up lines to women who are so uninterested it’d be funny if it weren’t so fucking sad. And! For her fucking information, I’d never hurt you like that asshole, because I may not have many standards, but I do have them. For one, you’re a fucking catch? Not even just your sexy ass body, but you’re cute, funny, and you’re incredibly smart and shit. Plus, you can defuse a situation just by humour or distracting without needing to threaten anyone. Like, do you think people respect me enough to let a tense situation drop just because I said ‘oh! When did Grillby get a new chandelier?’ fuck no. They wouldn’t pay attention to me if I said that shit. But you? They’re suddenly like ‘oh sick chandelier.’ No fucking respe-”

You interrupted him, “I did just notice you put up a new chandelier.”

“I know,” he kissed your forehead, “Nobody else fuckin’ did besides that cheap little bastard.”

You had to huff out a laugh at that and cuddle into his side, “Because they’re too focused on the beautiful purple asshole.”

He snorted, an ungraceful sound that you knew he’d never make in front of anyone but you…and maybe Sans. “Stop trying to change the subject to me, sweetheart…you’re also fucking incredible at helping me through my shit. Like, anyone else would be running for the fucking hills, but you actually…give a fuck. You know? You _actually_ want me to be a better monster and not even for your sake, but for mine? You know who the last person who thought I was capable of being good was? They fucking died during the human-monster war. Besides, your mom is fucking wrong if she thinks for a minute that I’m with you for any other reason besides me being fucking in love with you, then she can go and…I don’t know, fuck herself. Cheating on someone you love isn’t my fucking style.”

“Love?” you blurted out, tears slipped down your face.

He reached over and simply wiped them away with his thumb, “Obviously. I don’t fucking meet anyone’s parents — too many strings attached with that shit for a quick lay. You know, for a woman who is so concerned about your happiness, you’d think she’d learn to word things better, so they don’t sting so bad. Might haveta fucking marry you one day to prove her wrong."

Grillby pulled you forward and kissed you firmly, “Come on, what is it Sans is always calling you? ‘Dollface’? You got work in the morning, and it’s way too fucking late for you to be up crying over a bit-”

“I love you too,” you interrupted, and sparks flew from his head. You saw a look of surprise before his face shifted bluish for a moment. The softest look imaginable crossed over his features. His hand gently caressed the side of your face before curling around behind your neck to hold the back of your head ever so gently, like he was holding something so delicate. He leaned down and _nuzzled_ your forehead before capturing your lips into the softest, gentlest kiss.

“Fuckin’ waited for a year and a half to you say that,” he mumbled against your lips, “hope I’ll be hearin’ them a lot more.”

You wrapped your arms around him, “I love you, you pompous purple prick.”

“Ooo name-calling,” Grillby smirked, leaning back, “Next, you’ll be talkin’ dirty.”

You leaned forward and whispered something…very scandalous into his ear that had his fingers gripping your hips to an almost painful degree. Grillby had an almost dazed smirk on his face, “That can be arranged.”

You let out a startled laugh as he slipped his hands under your ass and lifted you clean off the ground.

You didn’t care how different he was to you.

This relationship? It worked wonderfully.

You loved him, and he loved you.

You saw the best in him, and he saw the best in you.


	20. Accidental Kiss (UF!Sans/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Female pronouns for Reader in this one!

It was a complete and utter accident.

Honestly!

It wasn’t even a good kiss, more of a clash of teeth than a real kiss. You’d been laughing at a joke he made and turned to look at him just as he leaned past you to grab the bottle of mustard that Grillby had placed in front of you.

It had kind of hurt, in fact, your lip felt pinched a bit.

That was all it was.

An accident.

A freak of an accident that would never occur again.

So then…why did you keep thinking about it? Even as accidental it was, the feeling of teeth against your lips still ghosted across your flesh. The blush on your cheeks kept returning over and over again whenever you thought about it, and your fingers kept brushing lightly over your lips as if that would bring the sensation back full force.

It had happened over a week ago, as well. Any lingering sensation should’ve faded and you should’ve been able to return back to the bar without feeling anxious about it. Yet, every time you thought about perhaps going there for dinner before the crowds flooded in…your chest would pound and you talked yourself out of it.

It wasn’t as if you went there that often anyways, Sans totally wouldn’t notice that you hadn’t shown up in a while. He wasn’t even that close of a friend, so he wouldn’t care either.

All lies you told yourself to make it easier for you to _not_ go back to Grillby’s.

Then came the text from Sans.

**Sans 9:38 PM: ** _what’re ya up to? haven’t seen ya ‘round lately._

Your heartbeat in your throat and a blush darkened your cheeks as you instantly thought back to the accidental kiss. Shaking your head you insisted that he _didn’t_ care nor would he even remember the tiny mishap. It was _Sans_ you were talking about. You didn’t know how he did it, but every night you were at Grillby’s he’d always pick out a woman in the bar and as you were leaving he’d always switch over and practically have the woman swooning into his arms before you’d even gotten to the door.

Accidentally smooching you in the most awkward kiss of his lifetime probably didn’t even register in his mind anymore.

You exhaled and typed back. Joking it off so that he wouldn’t realize that you weren’t in the habit of forgetting stupid little smooches.

—-

It was…not as much of an accident as you had thought.

Sans had purposefully indicated to Grillby to put the mustard in front of you, but he had originally wanted to just whisper in your ear some saucy words that would make you blush. He adored your blush and the shy, flustered smile that always came with it as you struggled to find a way to respond before you’d laugh it off and change the subject. However, when you started to turn your head? Maybe Sans had shifted his head as well, not exactly to go for a kiss, but maybe to get close enough that he could say a cheeky one-liner and get you to blush again. Something stupid, cus he wasn’t the kind of guy that wanted to make the women he was attracted to feel uncomfortable. You liked the low-hanging fruit jokes, and he had plenty of them to make you smile and laugh.

The feeling of your soft lips against his teeth, though? Damn. It was like a drug that he _craved_. You’d gotten all flustered and apologized profusely which…isn’t what he wanted you to do at all. He felt bad about it and apologized as well, cus you seemed actually upset by it.

So…fuck maybe you didn’t want to kiss him or do anything like that with him.

Was it because he was a monster? Was it because of his appearance? Cus he thought he was hot shit…but you didn’t seem the kinda gal that let her gaze linger on anyone long. Hell! He didn’t even know if you were into guys, let alone monsters! He could be barking up the wrong tree for all he knew. That anxiety started to creep in as he preened himself in front of the mirror for longer before going to Grillby’s.

Each day you weren’t there made his non-existent gut twist.

Sure, you weren’t the typical type of chick who would show up daily, hell, he hardly saw you once a week, and that was if he was lucky. Still, after a week of not seeing your cute little blushing face, Sans pulled out his phone, placed it on the bar top, all while grumbling. An hour passed before he finally texted you. When you didn’t respond back right away, Sans was grumbling to himself when Grillby lounged against the bar in front of him.

“Sad that your little kitten hasn’t come around to play, Sans?” Grillby taunted him, swirling some amber liquid in his cup and looking over at his long term friend patron over his sunglasses. Sans huffed.

“tch, ya sure yer not projecting there, pal? she’s normally the one between the two of us who pays,” Sans pointed out, pointing his mustard toward Grillby with a smirk. Grillby’s own smirk didn’t fade, he shifted so he was leaning closer to Sans.

“Take some advice, Red, monster up. We both know you’re a coward when it comes to anything besides fighting or fucking,” Grillby tapped the bar and gave Sans a bigger smirk, “or I might try my hand at…’wooing’ your little friend.”

Sans’ smirk turned into a scowl, “fuck off. since when do you give a shit?”

Grillby straightened and shrugged his shoulders, “it’s not like it fucking matters in the long run. Either way, you’re not a paying customer, get rejected or not and you’ll still come crawling in here day after day after day.”

“You really know how to boost a guys _spirits_,” Sans tapped his mustard bottle against the glass Grillby had left sitting on the bar top. Grillby gave a lopsided smirk before picking up the drink and saluting it towards Sans before downing it. His fire gave a whoosh as it brightened momentarily from the alcohol before he pivoted and walked away to attend to other matters.

Sans sighed and rubbed at his temple before picking his phone back up.

**You: 9:43 PM: ** _eh nothing much_

**You: 9:43 PM: ** _Why? Miss me that much already :P_

If his SOUL lurched at seeing your text, he would never admit that. Instead, he gave the tiniest of smirks and responded.

—-

**Sans 9:59 PM: ** _grillbz doesn’t appreciate my jokes like you do_

**Sans 10:00 PM: ** _and what if I fuckin do?_

**You 10:03 PM: ** _You have the lowest form of humour of course I find you hilarious_

**You 10:03 PM: ** _Awww you misssssssssssssssssssssss me_

**You 10:04 PM: ** _Are you drunk?_

**Sans 10:06 PM: ** _nah, grillbz doesn’t let me hit the hard stuff till 10:30_

**You 10:06 PM: ** _that’s what she said_

**Sans 10:10 PM: ** _and you say my form of humour is the lowest_

**You 10:11 PM: ** _I learn from the best_

**Sans 10:15 PM:** _you should come to grillbz_

**You 10:16 PM: ** _Nah, gotta draw out our meetings so you miss me more_

**You 10:17 PM: ** _Uh…plus it’s late and the club aspect is probably in full swing_

**Sans 10:43 PM: ** _can I come over to yours then?_

**You 11:00 PM:** _Sure, I’ll send you my address._

—-

You didn’t know what made you say yes, but a few minutes of waiting later and there was a knock on your door. Thankfully, Sans wasn’t drunk when you opened the door. If he was, you probably would have a) gotten his brother to come to pick him up, b) closed the door on his face, or more likely c) gotten him onto your couch and made him drink a full glass of water and then went into your room for the night.

Instead, you shyly let him in. You had put your bra back on, but honestly? You hadn’t put too much thought into your clothing. You were wearing your pyjamas and had been playing your favourite video game when he had asked and you hadn’t really wanted to stop playing. So, a bra was all the effort you gave him.

His eye lights quickly checked you out before snorting, “ya dressed up for me, sweetcheeks?”

You blushed, but proudly grabbed the hem of your tank top and stretched it a bit so the nerdy reference could be viewed in its full glory. “I chose my favourite pyjama tank just for you, you should be in awe.”

A chuckle, “yer a fucking nerd.”

“Takes one to know one, mister. Grillby told me one day that you watched Mew Mew Kissy Cutie with Papyrus before, so don’t you tell me that you’re not a nerd either,” you shot back and stuck your tongue out at him.

It was…so strange. Having him in your apartment. Yet, you weren’t tense and uncomfortable as you were when anyone else visited for the first time. You didn’t feel the need to apologize for the slight clutter, nor did you feel like he would judge you for anything in your apartment. He’d confessed that his room had a trash tornado in the corner, and you were not nearly that messy.

You invited him further into the apartment and got him some water, but also pulled out your mustard bottle. You didn’t know how much was in it but you held it out to him, and he accepted it with thanks before squirting an unhealthy swig straight into his slightly parted teeth in which it disappeared into the void behind.

Without hesitation, the two of you began to catch each other up on the last week, throw jokes, and overall just converse without feeling the pressure of needing to do anything a certain way. You ended up sitting on the couch with your feet on his lap, a blanket strewn over both of your legs, and watching him play a game on your console. It was getting close to twelve and your eyes were starting to droop.

You found yourself tearing your gaze away from the game to watch his face. The way his golden tooth shone even though the only light now was coming from the television. His eyes were fully focused on the game and there was a slight furrow to his face in concentration. He’d grumble swears when he wasn’t doing so hot, and then swear louder when he finally beat whatever he was working on getting through.

Why had you ever thought that a simple kiss would make things weird between the two of you?

His eye lights flickered over to you, and then he glanced at his phone sitting on the arm of the couch. “shit, sorry, dollface, didn’t mean ta keep ya up so late,” he said, patting your leg and placing the controller down. “i’ll get out of yer hair.”

You hummed sleepily, “you’re not bothering me, you can stay if you want.”

Sans hesitated, staring at you for a long time before slowly easing himself back into the couch. For a moment it looked like he wanted to say something, but then he simply grinned, patted your leg again and returned to his game. A while later, you yawned again and shifted trying to get even more comfortable on the couch. His eye lights shifted over to you.

“why dontcha cuddle up ta me? might be better than the armrest thing,” he said gruffly and looked back over to the television. You debated before shaking your head.

“Don’t want to make _you_ uncomfortable,” you murmured, “already got my legs on you.”

A pause and then he smirked, “y’know, i’d like it if all of ya was on me, but i’ll take what i can get.”

A wink.

You snorted, “you big flirt. Bet you say that to all the ladies. Speaking of, why are you here with me instead of…you know, a real lady?”

Sans gave you a bemused look, “’real lady’?”

“You know, someone not wearing the same pyjamas she wore last night because she forgot to do laundry,” you gestured lazily at your shirt. “Those girls at Grillby’s you normally flirt it up with when I leave.”

“dollface, i’d prefer you in two-day-old pyjamas over a random lady at the bar any day,” he said with an eye roll.

Your heart gave a little skip which you instantly shushed. All internally of course. Outwardly you just huffed out a laugh, “thanks for the pity-“

“ain’t pity, sweetheart,” Sans cut you off, giving you a _very_ serious look. “i’m _dead_ serious. do ya even realize how hot you look right now?”

Your face blushed, chuckled and looked away. “My hair is damp from a shower, and I’m wearing gross pyjamas. This isn’t ‘hot’, but thanks?”

Sans snorted, “yknow what i see? my fav girl relaxed as all hell, not giving a damn about how she looks with chips on her tits.”

You glanced down and blushed more as you brushed off your chest from chip crumbs. Then you paused, “Fav girl?”

“fuckin’ duh,” he grumbled placing the controller to the side. “yer hot as fuck, got the cutest fucking blush, yer funny, smart, and when ya talk ‘boutcha favourite shit? ya get this cute ass smile on your face and you get so animated.”

You laughed lightly and sat up, bringing your legs from his lap. “Thanks, Sans.”

“and, yer lips have been on my mind for the past week,” he added, and you blushed even worse.

“I’m sorry!” you blurted out, covering your face, “It was an accident.”

Sans shifted closer and placed a hand on your knee, you cracked your fingers slightly to look over at him. His eye lights were a bit bigger which surprised you. He looked like a cat that just got excited at seeing its favourite thing.

“if yer uncomfortable, lemme know, dollface and i’ll either leave or just back off,” he said, voice softer than normal but no less deep. You slowly lowered your hands and swallowed thickly.

“I’m…not uncomfortable, flustered yeah…but, not uncomfortable,” you mumbled, rubbing your hands up and down your calves quickly as if to disperse the nervous energy flowing through you. Was he going to kiss you? Or where was this going? Oh, you hadn’t been in a relationship in forever, you hadn’t been flirted with by anyone besides Sans in the longest time either.

“wanna redo on that kiss?” Sans asked, and your heart launched into your throat.

Holy shit.

Holy shit!

You nodded eagerly, and he chuckled. A deep rich sound that made you swoon a bit. He shifted his hand from your knee to the back of the couch as he shifted closer to you. His other hand reached over to caress your cheek for a moment before curling around to the base of your skull. You could hardly breathe as he leaned closer and pressed his teeth against your lips.

Your eyes fluttered closed and for a moment the two of you just…stayed like that.

Then your hands moved up to grip his jacket and pull him closer. It was like a dam broke. You felt the brush of his magical tongue against your lips, and then it was expertly exploring your mouth. A sense of desperation from both of you, like you both had been starved for years, exploded forth.

You quickly found yourself on your back, out of breath, with a jacketless Sans hovering over you. One of your legs was hooked around his hips, his hand was up your shirt and under your bra, and you both were panting heavily.

“Well,” you squeaked out, “That was…a hell of a second kiss.”

He chuckled awkwardly and withdrew his hand, “sorry for coping a feel.”

You shook your head, “s’okay…I didn’t mind.”

A pause.

Then your lips were back on his teeth, and his hands were back exploring your body.

Thank god for accidentally kisses.


	21. Sweets (SF!Papyrus/Reader)

When the townhouse next door to yours was put up for rent, you never expected monsters to move in. You lived and worked near the outskirts of the city, where even seeing a monster was rare, let alone one moving in. Yet, here you were, living next to two skeleton monsters who you rarely saw. They kept immaculate care of the small front yard and decent sized back yard, they didn’t park their car in front of your garage like the previous tenants always did, nor did you hear any raucous sex happening.

That was the biggest downfall of living in a townhouse; it was a fairly decent size for you…but if the neighbours were loud you could hear everything. It sucked with your last neighbours but so far so good with the current ones.

The only downside was the fact that one of the skeletons smoked, and it was only then that you saw either of them. He’d sit on the back deck and smoke before heading back inside. The only time you saw him was when your window was open, and you went to close it because the wind would shift, and you could smell the smoke.

Still, you didn’t really mind them. They kept to themselves, and you kept to yourself.

It had been almost six months since they moved in, and you were raking up the leaves in your small front yard so you could start decorating it for Halloween when you realized that the others in the small townhouse complex had differing opinions than you. The elderly couple who always stopped to chat with you no matter how much you _really_ hated when people distracted you from your chores, came by again just as your neighbour stepped out to smoke on his front step.

They sneered at him before whispering to each other, but you had your headphones on so you couldn’t tell if they were genuinely being assholes to him. You kept your head down and continued to rake quietly, glad that there was no wind to neither blow the scent of smokes towards you nor steal away the leaves in your tiny pile. You paused, glancing over at the connected yard that was your neighbours. It was still covered with leaves….eh, might as well. You started to collect their leaves as well; you did it for your previous neighbours (mostly because they never, ever raked their yard and the leaves would mould under the snow and make your allergies during snow melt horrible. (Their backyard was awful too for that.))

The old lady placed a hand on your arm, and you glanced up, swallowing back your irritation before you removed your headphones. “Yeah?”

“What are you doing?” she asked quietly, eyes flickering over to the monster sitting on his front steps.

“…raking?” you said, biting back your sharp words that you wanted to say.

“For a monster?”

“Not…really doing it for them,” you said slowly, “I did this when my previous neighbours still lived here too…”

Her eyes narrowed over at the monster, “You shouldn’t do anything for their kind.”

Your eyebrows rose, “That’s pretty fucking racist.”

Her eyes widened comically, and then her husband blurted out, “Excuse me?”

You shrank slightly under his intense gaze, “What?”

“She's not racist-“

“I mean- she kind of is-“

“She’s telling the truth.”

You pursed your lips and then sighed, “Cool. Well, I’m going to continue raking.”

As you went to put your headphones back on, the old man sneered at you. “Don’t you disrespect your elders like that!”

You drowned out his complaining with your head phones and merely went back to raking. Of course, your palms were sweating, and your heart was pounding heavily in your chest. Thankfully, the old couple moved on huffily and were well down the street by the time you glanced back over. With a sigh, you relaxed your grip on the rake and peacefully finished raking the small joint-front yard.

It was the next day that your doorbell rang after you got home, and when you peered through the peephole, your monster neighbour was standing on the other side. With a slight noise of confusion, you opened the door slightly and peered out. “Hello?”

“hey,” he greeted, shifting awkwardly. “uh…here,” he held up a bag from Muffet’s towards you, “for…raking our yard for us.”

Your eyebrow rose, but you opened the door a bit more. “Oh, you didn’t need to,” you insisted, peering up at him shyly. He was tall and had two golden fangs that had cracks snaking out along his bones from where they were set. You hadn’t expected him to be this tall, and well with his large jacket and scars, he would’ve looked quite intimidating if he wasn’t shifting awkwardly and holding out a bag of sweets to you.

“s’no big deal…” he murmured, offering the sweets again.

You hesitated, you were trying to eat healthier…but, you reached out shyly and accepted it. You peeked inside and saw there were a couple of donuts. “Oh, um…do you want…to share?” you offered, quietly, “I’m trying to cut back on my sugar.” He paused, and you gestured to the stairs.

He gave you a sweet, shy smile and nodded. You beamed back and quickly put on some slip-on shoes and grabbed your sweater before slipping out of the house. The two of you sat down with some distance and quietly ate donuts together. Neither of you seemed to be big talkers, but he quietly commented on your nerdy sweater, and the two of you quickly found common ground in video games. Then you began talking about all the nerdy things the two of you enjoyed, and then he admitted he was an artist, and you admitted you were a writer.

It was getting dark, and you were beginning to feel the chill of a fall night, so you crinkled up the empty donut bag and stood up.

“Thanks for the donuts, Rus,” you said with a smile, “That was very kind.”

“thanks for raking…kept me from having to do it,” he teased, much more comfortable with you now that the two of you had chatted away for a few hours.

“That’s just lazy,” you teased back, and he simply smiled.

The two of you said your goodbyes, and you headed back inside.

That wasn’t the first or last time that happened. Every time you’d do something, such as rake up leaves, mow their share of the front law as well, or shovel the sidewalk in front of their house as well as your own, Papyrus would head over with some donuts or other sweets the next day and the two of you would chat on the front step. However, when it got cold, you invited him into your front living room instead of standing around in the freezing temperatures.

For your birthday, Rus surprised you with a gift, and you were happily surprised. It was a sketch he had done of you one day when the two of you had been lounging in his backyard the previous summer. His brother had scolded the two of you for being lazy for just soaking up the sun's rays when you pointed out that you needed to get Vitamin D from sun exposure, or your bones could become brittle when you were older. That had shut him up quickly.

It was…a beautiful portrait of you. It captured a soft, peaceful side of you that you never really pictured yourself as being. You’d always imagined other people saw you as awkward and tense because of how shy you were.

Rus had taken your awed silence as anything but what you meant it to be, and had started to panic. “ah…it’s…just…y’know…you were really pretty an…I just…but I mean if you don’t…like it? I got you something else…too?”

You snapped out of you, stunned silence and quickly shook your head, clutching the small framed sketch, “This is awesome.”

“wha…no…really?” he said shyly, looking over at you in surprise.

“Yeah! No one has ever drawn me before,” you breathed out, “and! I’m…you made me look so pretty…”

“you are,” he said softly, and you blushed.

“I! Thank you?” you giggled, looking down at the sketch instead. “This…I love it.”

He seemed relieved by that and relaxed into your couch.

You completely forgot that he said he had a second gift for you as you got up and put the sketch near the front door so that you could see it when you left for work and got home. You just knew it would brighten your day when you saw that. Papyrus blushed and started saying that you didn’t need to put it near the front door.

“But then I won’t see it as often,” you pointed out, walking back over to the couch and sat down. “Thanks, Rus…you’re such a sweetheart.”

He laughed his dorky little laugh, blushing still. You smiled and turned to gather up the bits of wrapping paper that he had used on the frame. His bony hand reached out and stopped you.

“uh…my-my second gift,” he reached into his pocket and pulled out a piece of paper. You accepted it with a curious glance up at his face before reading the words on the paper.

_Good for one free meal at Muffet’s (with Papyrus)_

You giggled before looking up at him with and said teasingly, “Are you asking me out on a date?”

“….yes?”

You paused, searching his face, “Wait…really?”

“………..no?”

There was a bit of nervousness in his features, and then you glanced back at the paper and then up at him.

Your heart leapt, “Are you?”

“……………………..yes?”

“Rus!” you said, exasperated, “My heart can’t handle you teasing like this.”

His grin grew slightly before falling again, “uh….i mean if you want it to be? i know we’re just friends n’shit but…..it’s just really easy to talk to you? and you don’t expect me to be anythin’ that i’m not…and my bro likes you….and like you’re really selfless? plus we like a lot of the same stuff and you’re always encouragin’ me in a way that actually helps me do shit…and it’d be cool if we…yknow were friends n’datemates?”

Your mouth slowly fell open as he spoke, and when he finished, he was staring hard at the floor.

For a moment, you couldn’t form words.

It wasn’t that it was unexpected, it just…you thought all the signs that he was into you was just…you projecting your own feelings into his actions. As stupid as that thought seemed now. Him coming over so often, texting you memes and jokes, the two of you laying on the very couch you were sitting on currently talking about deep shit. Lingering touches, hugging that last a moment longer than it usually would’ve, cuddling on the couch while watching movies.

Obviously the feeling was mutual…but you’d grown up being ridiculed for your crushes, so now when someone did reciprocate, you just got it in your head that it was actually you just thinking they had a crush back.

“Okay!” you blurted out, startling him.

“okay?” he repeated, unsure and nervous.

“Okay!” you repeated, unable to really get anything more than that, you waved the piece of paper at him. “I wanna be your friend and datemate too.”

He blinked. Once. Twice. Three times.

Then the sweetest smile ever stretched over his lips, and he reached over, hesitantly, and stroked your cheek. They heated in response, but then you leaned forward and pressed your lips to his cheek bone softly. He let out a soft laugh and nuzzled your face. You smiled warmly and wrapped your arms around his neck as you peppered kisses all over his cute face. His laughter grew, and then he pulled you into his lap and was nuzzling your cheek with his teeth, and you were laughing and giggling in his grip.

To think, your friendship had started because he gave you some donuts after you raked up some leaves.

Thank god for small kindnesses….and sweets.


	22. Sunshine (US!Sans/Reader)

You couldn’t find your husband anywhere. He texted you to let you know that he had arrived home from his trip with Queen Toriel and Ambassador Chara early…but when you got back from your shopping trip, he wasn’t anywhere, which was surprising. He’d been gone a week, the longest the two of you had gone apart from each other since getting married, and generally, during longer trips, he’d be darting over to greet you instantly, and smothering you with kisses.

You wanted your kisses.

Thankfully as you walked past the back door, you spotted the flash of blue.

With a relieved sigh, you opened the door and stepped out onto the deck. He turned around at the sound of the creaky screen door swinging shut (you needed to remember to oil that soon), and his eyes brightened.

“YOU’RE HOME!” he chirped, waving you over, “I MADE LUNCH FOR US, MY LOVE.”

You couldn’t help the large grin stretch over your face at the endearing term. He was big on the nicknames to express his love for you, and you enjoyed many of them. It had taken you a while, but you occasionally refer to him by sweet nicknames as well…but you were a lot shyer with your affections than he was.

“We having a picnic?” you asked, heading down the small set of steps onto the stepping stones. You hoped along the stepping stones cheerfully until you stood beside him. There was no picnic basket, but he _had_ spread out a blanket over the grass and gestured towards it with a wide grin.

“OF COURSE! THE WEATHERMAN SAID IT WILL MOST LIKELY BE THE LAST WARM DAY OF THE YEAR,” he said, as you sank down onto the blanket and held your hand out towards him. He took it and pressed a kiss to it quickly, “I WILL BE RIGHT BACK. THE FOOD IS IN THE FRIDGE, AS I DIDN’T WANT IT TO GET WARM WHILE YOU WERE SHOPPING.”

You nodded and waited as he jogged quickly back inside. The sun was warm, but there was also a gentle breeze chasing away what would’ve been a sweltering day otherwise. It was perfect for a picnic, especially in this backyard. When Sans and you had bought the house together shortly before your marriage, the yard had been dull. Yet, with a lot of research, enthusiasm, and hard work, it was now a flourishing garden. There was even a pond that Papyrus had helped install sitting off to the side that you saw multiple birds enjoying and a few ducks!

You’d even convinced Sans to install a hammock between two of the large trees, as he didn’t like the idea of just being lazy. You’d mentioned that the two of you could cuddle and watch the stars at night, and he’d gone out and bought one the next week.

Not that he would’ve complained if you had bought it and installed it, he never judged you for your laziness. He encouraged you to do your best, and sometimes that drained you so badly you needed a nap or to be ‘lazy’ for a while. However, you liked to be on the same page with him about purchasing new things for your home because you cared about his opinion…and he gave you the same courtesy.

It was only thirty seconds before Sans was heading back outside with two plates held in his hands as he hummed quietly to himself as he headed back down the steps and over to you.

You accepted the plate with a happy hum, and when he sat down, you kissed his cheek immediately. “Thanks, love.”

He grinned happily at you and nuzzled your face quickly before gesturing towards your lunch. “WHAT IS IT THEY SAY? BONE APPLE TEETH? IS THAT AS WEIRD AS IT SOUNDS?”

You couldn’t help but snort, “no, no..it’s _bon appétit, mon charmant mari.”_

His face flushed the colour of the sky; he absolutely adored it when you spoke French. As little of it as you knew from taking it throughout elementary and middle school, and then brushing up on it again as an adult. “_JE VOUS AIME. _DID I SAY THAT RIGHT?_”_

You smiled at him, kissing his jaw, “I mean…technically I understood it, but it’s _je t’aime_.”

“_JE T’AIME._”

You giggled, “I love you too.”

He grinned and then gestured again to your food. “AFTER YOU’RE DONE EATING, WE CAN CUDDLE IN THE HAMMOCK TOGETHER.”

You smiled and dug into your food. When you had first met Sans, he wasn’t great at cooking…but he’d been determined to get better after giving you food poisoning accidentally. That was not a fun date, but it was…memorable in the least. Thank god Sans was a sweetheart and had felt absolutely rotten about it, or you might’ve broken it off with him. It had been early enough in the relationship that it very well could’ve made or broken it.

The two of you ate relatively silently, with Sans occasionally asking how to say random words in French. You knew basics, but some of the words he was asking were just not in your vocabulary. When you asked why he was just curious.

Then again, you never taught him how to say je t’aime…and he did. So maybe he was learning French on the side.

You wouldn’t put it past him.

You soon found yourself contently full and offered to run the plates back inside, but Sans took them and hurried inside, telling you to get comfy on the hammock. You shrugged, climbed in, and relaxed. The gentle sway was lulling you into complete relaxation when Sans slowed it down so he could climb in and cuddle you against his side.

The two of you chatted quietly as you watched the puffy white clouds over head slowly drift by.

“I…Never Thought I’d Get To See This,” Sans admitted quietly to you, “The Sky.”

You remained silent, picking up the hand that was resting on his chest, and gently started stroking your thumb over his wedding band.

“I Hoped I Would And I Never Let Go Of That…But It Was More Of A Dream. I Have Never Been The Kind Of Monster To Be Naïve,” Sans continued, “But When Papy And I Saw It For The First Time? It Was Breathtaking. There Was A Sunset. All Those Colours. It Was Beautiful.”

You nodded softly, gently craning your head afterwards to look up at him. His head tilted down to return your gaze with a soft one of his own. “I Thought I’d Never See Anything As Beautiful Again, But Here You Are Proving Me Wrong.”

You buried your face into his chest and let out a flustered noise, and he laughed joyfully as he squeezed your hand.

Always getting you with those compliments you never saw coming.

“BUT SERIOUSLY, THE SUNSHINE ON MY BONES FELT AMAZING. AND WHEN WE WERE ALLOWED TO INTEGRATE WITH HUMANS, PAPY AND I WENT STRAIGHT TO THE BEACH TO SOAK UP ALL THE SUN WE COULD HANDLE!” he said, the soulful voice fading into his usual enthused way of speaking.

“We should go up north,” you blurted out, interrupting him before he could continue.

“NORTH? WHY?” he asked, frowning slightly.

“I’ve always wanted to see the northern lights…and I think you’d enjoy them too!” you said, peeking up at him, “and I know you love the night sky…so it’s a double win.”

“NORTHERN LIGHTS?” he echoed, seeming to think about it. “WHAT ARE THEY?”

“It’s this awesome like…natural phenomenon where the sky lights up with almost ribbony looking light,” you explained excitedly, “I’ve always wanted to see them in real life.”

His eyes shifted to stars, and he grinned, “THAT SOUNDS AMAZING!”

The two of you excitedly talked about the northern lights and other natural phenomenon until you felt the heat of the sunshine starting to make you feel sleepy. You curled against your husbone and listened to him chatter away about the bioluminescent caves full of mushrooms and crystals in the Underground. You fell asleep with sunshine behind your eyelids, and the sweet sound of Sans’ voice.


	23. Lost (UT!Sans/Reader)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Warning: Passive suicidal thoughts + existential nihilism

Sans wasn’t a stranger to losing.

Timeline after timeline after timeline, he lost something or someone in some form or another. Constantly. He’d watched his own brother be slaughtered mercilessly. He’d seen the air filled with dust as the kid stormed their bloody warpath through the Underground to meet him in the Last Corridor. He’d fought for as long as he could until he too had lost.

Every so often, there would be a pacifist run…and the first one he’d had hope that the kid wouldn’t just RESET and everything would go back to ground zero. Except. It did. Again and again. He stopped putting faith in the kid's random pacifist tendencies. Sure, they weren’t killing anyone…but then why RESET? Why make all these friends and then RESET it just to slaughter them all?

It didn’t make sense.

But Sans had stopped trying to make sense of it a long time ago.

Even if this run was a pacifist run…and it had been years since they had made it out of the Underground and were living on the surface. Frisk would just RESET again sooner or later when they were bored. As if this entire thing was their game, and they were all just their pawns.

It fucking sucked.

Of course, he was the only one who truly remembered the RESETs.

He was partially glad and immensely burdened by that thought. There was no one to talk to about it. No one would understand. It was just like when he tried to speak about Gaster after his father and mentor disappeared after falling into his machine and into the Void. People were confused…and even if some of them vaguely remembered someone, they couldn’t figure out who it was. In the end, it just frustrated them, and they simply stop talking about it.

Sans had been losing for so long…he stopped trying to win.

Papyrus encouraged him to take up a job at the university with Alphys. After all! Sans was brilliant and sciency! So! It was the perfect fit! Except….Sans didn’t want to mess with science anymore. Sure, he loved figuring out the secrets of the universe and bending physics, but after his own father died because of that shit? Nope. Not happening.

Except Papyrus kept encouraging…and looked sadder and sadder each time Sans declined. Sans knew that Papyrus was trying to hide his own feelings regarding Sans’ depression, but it was hard for a typically very outwardly emotional monster like Papyrus. When they sat down and spoke about it…Papyrus admitted he didn’t want Sans doing something _for_ him, instead of for himself, which is why he tried not to show his sadness about the whole situation.

The open communication between the two just expanded from there…and eventually Sans took up the job…part-time at least.

Alphys introduced him to her assistant, you, on his first day. You were brilliant and quick-witted, and all smiles. Literally. You could be elbow deep in mechanical parts with a focused look on your face, but the slightest upturn of those beautiful lips. The lips that Sans admitted he’d thought about kissing many times since meeting you and warming up to you.

Still, he kept his feelings to himself. After all, anyone as contagiously happy as you were would just be brought down by him. He didn’t want to see that smile wipe off your face because of him…or for you to be disappointed in him on those days where he just couldn’t get out of bed. After all…why should anything he does matter? Frisk was just going to RESET.

You had surprised him after a year of working together when you asked if he wanted to hang out after work together. It had been an offhanded suggestion, one that you had done not even facing him as you looked over some equations. He’d been stunned and thought of a way to decline without hurting your feelings. Instead, you had turned around, an embarrassed smile on your face, and you quickly said, “Sorry! Nevermind, that was stupid, forget I asked.”

“sure. ever been to grillby’s?”

Sans quickly found out that he laughed more with you…his smiles were more real rather than just how his face naturally was, and he came home feeling a bit…more hopeful that there wouldn’t be a RESET. It soon became an almost daily thing where the two of you would head out somewhere after work to chat, hang out, and generally eat food.

Still, there was that pesky thought on his mind.

Frisk was just going to RESET, so why even bother with all of this? Why bother with you? Why bother pleasing his brother? It was all just going to end.

Then…one day, he’d taken you star-gazing on a beautiful clear, warm night. The two of you were sprawled on a blanket in the grass and staring up at the clusters of millions of stars overhead. There was no sound but the distant croak of frogs, chirps of crickets, and the creaking of tree branches off to the side.

“Hey…Sans,” you spoke up after endless silence. His eye lights shifted towards you and his SOUL clenched. The typical upturned corners of your lips were turned downwards.

“yeah?”

“Do you ever just feel…like nothing you do…matters?” you whispered, eyes pinned on the stars. You didn’t wait for a response from him, powering on, “I just….go through the paces, you know? Wake up, go to work, go home…it’s just- Yeah, I’m doing what I wanted to, and I love my job…and it’s not like it takes up all my time, and Alphys totally understands if I need time off. But like…I don’t know. This is all going to end one day, and will anything I ever do mean anything to anyone?”

Sans rolled to his side during your quiet rant, and then reached for your hand and squeezed it. For a moment, you didn’t respond, but then you squeezed his fingers back.

“i get it. probably more than you know.”

You peered over at him, and then rolled onto your side as well, not releasing his hand. “Yeah?”

“no matter what you do, it’s never…enough, yeah?”

You nod silently, eyes flickering to study the pattern on the blanket beneath the two of you.

“people see your smiling face and think you’ve got nothing going on inside?”

Another nod.

Sans was silent for a while before he quietly added, “you think your life doesn’t matter and that if you weren’t there…nothing would change?”

A nod, and then he saw tears forming in your eyes.

“well…i’d miss you if you weren’t there,” he murmured, “and i get it. you can talk to me about it…when you don’t want to smile, i’ll be there for you too.”

You were silent, and then you squeezed his hand. “I’d miss you too…and…the same goes for you. Sans…I’m here for you.”

“heh…uh…thanks…” he said, glancing away, “but…-“

“But nothing. Even if the reason you feel that way is different from the reason, I feel this way…the feeling remains, and I get that…and you get that. Even if you don’t feel comfortable enough to tell me everything, just…know that I’m here for you for what you are comfortable telling me,” you said, squeezing his hand again.

The two of you lapsed into silence, and he finally looked up at you. The tears that were in your eyes were gone. The faintest dampness to your eyelashes the only proof that you had been close to crying.

“i’ve lost so many times that i stopped keeping track…” he murmured softly, “i’d like to know what it feels like to win…just once.”

You nodded your head softly, and then reached up and stroked his cheek. “You will…I just know it. You’re a brilliant guy, Sans…and a sweetheart. If anyone deserves a win, it’s you.”

Sans wanted to kiss you…but he didn’t think it was appropriate to do that after you just confessed you felt…just like him. Worthless and like nothing you ever did matter. He wanted to know why you could smile so much, even though you felt so empty. He wanted to see how you could joke and cheer people up without even the hint of anything wrong darkening your eyes. He wanted to know who you were beyond what you just showed people.

He wanted to know the soft, vulnerable person in front of him…and he wanted to show you all of who he was. Not just the lazy jokester who somehow had multiple scientific degrees.

Until then? He refrained from kissing you…until you wanted to kiss him.

Even if you didn’t feel the same way about him, ever, at least he finally found someone else who he knew could understand him.

A friend.


	24. Hold (UT!Papyrus/Reader)

If you had to describe what Papyrus’ hugs felt like in the simplest terms? It was like coming home. You’d never thought hugs from a skeleton could feel so comforting, so warm, so…right before. Well, you’d actually never thought about cuddling up to a skeleton before because…well, they were bony, and if you cuddled up to a _human_ skeleton that’d be weird…and creepy.

Still, there was nothing better than waking up in his cozy embrace. His lean form was able to surround you in the best way, and you never wanted to leave it. Even if you had to. If it wasn’t for Papyrus needing to go to work early in the morning, you’d attempt to convince him to stay, but you knew that he wasn’t one to sit around idly. He’d be delighted to cuddle you if he was able to watch a movie, read a book, do something that didn’t feel like he was doing nothing and thus being lazy.

Though you’d tried to encourage him to relax…that wasn’t something that suited him, and he’d get antsy, so you stopped trying. You didn’t want to change him; after all, you loved him for who he was, not for who you could change him to be. He paid you the same respect, sure, he did complain if you were lazy for lazy sakes (especially when Sans came over, and the two of you would literally just lay on the couches and do nothing but trade puns back and forth), but if you were lazy because there was just…no motivation, it was like a switch was flipped in his brain. His annoyed (but affectionate) quips about you being lazy switched to encouragement and genuine compliments when you succeeded in doing something that had felt like it would take up all your energy.

That was how it worked between you two, encouragement, communication, love, and genuine care.

Plus, a healthy dose of two sarcastic beings living in the same house who loved dry, witty humour and who loved to fluster each other.

Though, you’d found it harder and harder to fluster Papyrus over the years, especially after you got married to him. Now, you could compliment him in any manner, and he’d beam and thank you, you could wear something that you knew would get him going unexpectedly, and he’d just grin and whisk you off to somewhere more private. You could tell him how much he meant to you, and he’d shower you with compliments, genuine words of love, and you’d be the flustered mess.

Then again, you were shy to his brazen boldness.

While you could be found cuddling, holding hands, smooching, and being dorky dweebs in love around friends, family, you got incredibly embarrassed about PDA. You got second-hand embarrassment from other people kissing or holdings hands in public, which you explained to Papyrus (who didn’t understand it at all because why would you be embarrassed about people expressing their love and care for each other? But if you do feel so uncomfortable! He would _never_ do anything that would cross that line! Even if he doesn’t get it, he wants you to be comfortable and happy around him! So! He makes up for all the time lost holding you, touching you, kissing you in the private comfort of your home!)

Though…it really struck you when a coworker of Papyrus’ commented at a work party that it really didn’t seem like you and Papyrus were a happily married couple of five years. It seemed more as if you were merely friends.

Which, usually you’d just be like ‘haha fuck you Linda’ if it was a barb sent directly at _you_ and you alone, but since it included Papyrus? You felt…bad. Papyrus was so enthusiastic about his displays of affection. Many of his coworkers had seen him hug even the King of Monsters, but only a few had ever seen him hug _you_ in person when you dropped into his work to get something.

Of course, that little thought needled into your brain for weeks, and while Papyrus seemed to notice that you were a bit lost in your thoughts, he also knew you weren’t ready to talk about it. You’d mention it when you were.

Still…you just, couldn’t? It was weird. You were weird.

Ugh.

You glanced over at Papyrus. He was examining a box of dinosaur oatmeal and comparing it to his usual brand. You took the basket from him, making him shoot you a fond look before going back to his intense scrutiny.

“Uh…Paps?” you murmured, looking up at him. You curled your hand loosely into a fist and lifted it as if you were giving him something, “Can you hold this real quick for me?”

“OF COURSE,” he said, shooting you another smile before holding his hand out to accept it. You uncurled your fist and took his hand.

“Thanks,” you said, ignoring the burn of your blush as you stepped closer, “Get your usual stuff, it’s on sale anyways.”

Papyrus stared at your loosely intertwined hands for a moment, before shifting his fingers to lace with yours. He gave your hand a gentle squeeze and then moved to take his hand away, but you tightened your grip a bit more. A questioning look, and when you nodded your head slightly, he beamed and put the oatmeal back onto the shelf.

“GOOD IDEA, MY LOVE,” he said, picking up a few boxes and placing them gently into the basket. “Is This What You’ve Been Worried About?” he asked in a much quieter tone as the two of you meandered further up the aisle.

“Uh…yeah,” you admitted quietly, “I just…you’re my husband, and I feel like…I’m not a teenager anymore? I want to be able to hold my husband’s hand without feeling embarrassed about it…”

He stopped you, “I Still Do Not Get Why You Are Embarrassed To Hold My Hand, But You Do Not Need To Push Your Comfort Zones Over This. I, The Great Papyrus,” he winked, and you let out a little laugh (he stopped saying that as frequently years ago but it still made you grin when he said it now), “Am Known To Be Quite Understanding! So! If You Are Doing This For My Sake (Which I Feel Like You Are Considering You’re Tense), You Do Not Need To! We Have Had This Conversation Before, And I Am Okay With No PDA!”

That made you hesitate, staring down at your joined hands before you shook your head and squeezed his hand. “Thanks, Paps…but I’m okay with this. Holding hands is good. I like it. Trust me.”

His eyes narrowed slightly, but in thought, and then he nodded. “I ALWAYS TRUST YOU, MY LOVE. NOW, SHOULD WE GET SOME EXTRA KETCHUP BECAUSE MY LAZYBONES BROTHER IS COMING OVER FOR THE WEEKEND OR SHOULD WE MAKE HIM BRING HIS OWN?”

You grinned, tugging on his hand as you led the way, “I think we should get some, we gotta be great hosts after all.”

“OF COURSE. NOTHING LESS FROM THE GREAT PAPYRUS AND HIS GREAT LIFE PARTNER!”

“Life partner?” you giggled, “I’d prefer significant other.”

“HIS GREAT SIGNIFICANT OTHER!”


	25. Bowtie (UT!Grillby/Reader)

You would be lying if you said you didn’t like a well-dressed man. There was just something about well-tailored outfits that just made you swoon a bit when you saw them. Even better? When those well-dressed men got comfortable, pushing their sleeves to their elbow, loosening their tie, unbuttoning their shirt? Perfection.

But, you were totally _not_ undressing your boss with your eyes. You were _not_ imagining slowly loosening his bowtie and slipping it from his neck.

Not at all.

You were cleaning tables, taking orders, joking and laughing with the mix of monster and human patrons, and stoutly avoiding Sans. The little skeleton gremlin would be able to _instantly _know what you were thinking if he hadn’t already figured it out. Sans was very perspective.

A series of exciting howls drew your attention away from the table you were cleaning up to see the wolf pack piling into the bar for their nightly game of poker. You smiled and greeted them all with pets and praise and instantly reciting their order, continually moving so that Doggo could see you. With a slight deviation to their usual order, you picked up your tray full of dirty dishes and headed over to the bar.

“…normal order?” Grillby asked, placing a freshly cleaned glass down in its spot and shifting it, so it perfectly lined up with the others.

“Almost, Doggo would like a double order of fries instead of the burg, and Dogamy and Dogressa are starting them off early with their usual rounds of drinks,” you said, slipping behind the counter with the tray of dirty dishes. Grillby took the tray from you easily and gestured towards the wall of alcohol before disappearing into the fire exit. It was a pun, mainly, because you had entered behind there a lot of times, and it was just the back room for cooking and storage. Nothing fancy.

When you had asked about it, Grillby told you in the Underground they had fewer rules about what requirements were needed in order to run a business. That back room literally couldn’t be accessed by anyone other than him because it was on fire. Magical fire that didn’t spread, but fire nonetheless.

You were glad there were codes against that, or you probably wouldn’t have gotten a job.

You didn’t linger long staring after him, moving to do your job. It had once been incredibly hard for you to remember the different drink mixtures, but now it was like second nature — especially the drinks you made day in and day out. Sans watched you, sipping on his ketchup, without comment. You didn’t offer any commentary either as you placed the four drinks on the tray and headed back over to the dog monsters.

The rest of the night passed by with no incidents and, as always, Ugly Fish and Red Bird were the final monsters to stumble their way out of the bar. Red Bird throwing compliments and flirts at Grillby the entire way out. You weren’t sure whether or not Grillby appreciated them, as he wasn’t very expressive. Or…maybe he was? You only saw him at work, after all.

You locked the door behind them, switching the sign to off, closed the blinds, and turned around to smile at Grillby. He returned it with what you assumed was his smile before the two of you quietly finished cleaning the bar up.

As you moped, Grillby counted the till, slipping what needed to go to the bank into an envelope and into his pocket before working on splitting up the tips. At your previous waitressing gig, you had a feeling that your boss had been siphoning some of the tips into his own pocket, but with Grillby? Some nights you had to fight with him because you _swore_ he gave you some of his tips as well.

You tucked away the mop and headed over to the jukebox in the corner to turn it off, pausing beside it as it switched to a song you recognized. Just for a moment before you hit the power button and the lights blinked off.

Grillby had already headed into the back, so you made sure everything was away properly before following him.

It was the end of the week, which meant bank night. Typically, you were the first to leave, so you never saw Grillby in anything besides his work outfit. It was a slow night tonight, so everything had gotten finished early, so he hadn’t sent you home early.

He had taken off his apron and hung it up on the peg next to the door, which was normal, but what wasn’t normal? He pulled on a leather jacket over top of his work uniform and was currently in the process of untying his bow tie.

Oh no.

Your weakness.

You had to firmly remind yourself that he was your _boss,_ and therefore, those thoughts were _off limits! _You turned your gaze away immediately as you headed over to stand beside him. You hung your apron up, and slipped your own jacket over your shoulders and then pulled on your toque.

Grillby wasn’t a vocal monster, so you weren’t surprised when he simply gestured towards the door after opening it. You nodded your head and slipped out into the chilly air. It was just after Halloween, and there was already snow falling. That wasn’t unusual to this part of the world, but you still glared up at the sky as the puffy white flakes drifted down. You’d hoped that the snow would have stayed behind the clouds until you got back to your apartment.

“…see you tomorrow,” Grillby said, interrupting your glaring. You turned to face him, watching the snow melt and evaporate well before it touched his flames.

“I’m off tomorrow, remember,” you said, stepping a bit closer to him and his warmth when a blast of icy wind managed to worm it’s way up your jacket. You should’ve worn your winter jacket, but you weren’t ready to give up on fall yet! “My parents are coming to town to visit.”

“…right,” he said with a faint nod. Another gust of wind and he gestured towards the street, “…would you like me to walk you to your car?”

That surprised you. A break from the script?

“I…uh, don’t drive,” you said, smiling at him, “Thanks for the offer, though.”

“…you don’t drive?” he said slowly, some sparks flying from the top of his head.

“Don’t have a car; it’s more expensive to drive than to walk,” you explained, stuffing your hands into your pockets, “I’ll see you in a couple of days.”

You turned, but his hand gently touched your elbow “…I can walk you home.”

“What?” you blurted out in surprise, twisting to look at him. There was a shift of his flames, and you swore that they shifted to blue for a moment.

“…it’s cold,” he gestured to the air “…and it’s three in the morning.”

“Exactly, so you should drop the money off at the bank and get back to your place,” you said, dismissively waving your hands, “Does the cold not bother you?”

He shook his head, “…my flames just get warmer in response…which way is your apartment?”

You gestured down the street, “four blocks or so that way.”

“…that’s on the way to the bank,” he said, there was a hesitation in his voice. “…I can walk you…if you’d like.”

A pause.

“Sure,” you relented, it was just a friendly suggestion. Besides, you’d much prefer walking with someone this early in the morning. Especially if said someone let off an incredible heat that chased away a majority of your chill.

Walking you home became a daily thing after that, and soon he stopped asking if you’d like to be escorted home. It was just expected. As the nights got colder, you bundled up more, and on the coldest of nights, he traded the leather jacket for a black pea coat.

You got comfortable enough with him to compliment the pea coat and told him that he had impeccable fashion sense.

“…really?” he said, glancing down at himself, “…Sans says I look old fashioned.”

You blushed lightly, tugging your scarf up slightly, “I mean, you do…but that’s not a bad thing? I like that style. Especially the bow tie. It…really suits you.”

After that conversation, you noticed subtle changes to Grillby’s wardrobe. If you thought he was trying before to look good, you were wrong. This was him trying. You were impressed.

Still, you just thought that your compliment merely spurred him into accepting his sense of style more. It was Sans who set you straight on that aspect.

Grillby went into the back to prepare some orders, and you were handling the bar. You handed Sans a fresh bottle of ketchup and tucked the other aside to be cleaned up and recycled.

“grillbz has been changing up his look lately, know anything about that?” Sans asked, leaning against the counter top and inclining the bottle of ketchup towards you.

“Not really, I told him that the old fashion look suits him. Might’ve been a little boost to his confidence?” you shrugged a shoulder, “He hasn’t mentioned anything to me about it, though.”

“so him wearing a bowtie that happens to match the colour of your shirt has nothing to do with you?” Sans asked a shit-eating grin on his face.

You frowned slightly, “What? He’s not-“

The fire exit door opened and Grillby swept past the bar to deliver the cooked food to some of the regulars. You glanced down at your button-up; it was a deep purple, and when you looked back up at Grillby, so was his tie. You blushed and quickly spun around to organize some of the bottles on the wall.

“That’s just a coincidence,” you hissed to Sans after your face had calmed down, peeking over at Grillby as he spoke quietly with the dogs at the poker table.

“was he wearing a tie when you started?” he asked, his grin twitching upward again. You paused and then shook your head. “hehe…and I thought I was a numbskull.”

“He wouldn’t have time to do that, and I wasn’t paying attention to his-“

“ya can’t lie to me, kid,” Sans pointed out, turning around and leaning back against the bar to look at Grillby. “plus, grillbz’ lives above the bar in the studio.”

That made you freeze slightly, watching Grillby as he left the dogs to check up on the other patrons and then started making his way back to the bar. You glared at the back of Sans’ skull lightly. You didn’t need to be thinking that way about your boss; you would’ve been much more content in your ignorance.

Actually, you wouldn’t have.

You had a massive crush on Grillby and had for a while. The fact that he was matching his bow tie to your shirt colour was adorable. But…you didn’t really trust Sans. It could’ve totally been a coincidence! So, the next day, you made sure to note if Grillby was wearing a bowtie, he was, and you relaxed when you noticed it wasn’t the same colour as your shirt. But then you felt terrible. You had been happy at the thought that…well, it didn’t matter anymore.

Yet, at the end of the day, you noticed the subtle shift of colour to his bowtie. It matched your shirt.

When you had started, he simply told you that the work uniform was dress pants, shoes, shirt and a black vest. The button-up shirt could be any colour that you wanted.

The next day, to make sure that it hadn’t been a fluke, you set up a stupid little test. You brought an extra button up shirt of a different colour, and during your break, you changed it. Explaining to Sans when he asked that you had spilt some sauce on your sleeve. A few minutes after that, Grillby had come back into the room with a different coloured bowtie.

Sans snickered, and you blushed.

That night, as you were pulling on your jacket. Grillby moved to hand you your ‘soiled’ button up and paused, looking at the sleeve. You noticed him subtly check the other sleeve before you zipped up your jacket and turned to him.

“…” he stared at you for a moment before his flames shifted colour, sparking a bit with blue.

“Yes?” you asked, tilting your head slightly, and taking your shirt from him and tucking it away in your bag.

“…I thought you said it was…dirtied?” he asked quietly.

“I may have lied?” you said, peering up at him shyly, “Because I wanted to test a theory.”

“……..oh?”

He shifted slightly, almost as if he was trying to hide his bowtie that he hadn’t taken off yet.

You hesitated before reaching up and adjusting his jacket lapels so that the bowtie was more visible. His flames brightened slightly, and you dropped your hands. “…I can explain…”

You paused, did…he think you were mad? You tilted your head and waited quietly.

“…”

He sighed, a few sparks escaping his mouth, “…I…was…flattered by your compliment.”

“Which one?”

“…about the bowtie…”

“Oh.”

“…I realize that it might be weird as your boss,” he said, flushing even bluer. “I apologize. I’ll stop.”

“It’s fine,” you blurted out, and then added without thinking, “I think it’s cute.” You flushed and covered your face, “that was inappropriate! I’m so sorry-“

“Cute?” Grillby said, flames growing larger.

“Uh…yeah…cute,” you mumbled, “ANYWAYS! Time to go home!”

“…I find you cute as well,” he said quickly, making you blush even _more if_ that was even possible.

“What?” you blurted out, “How?”

“Why…wouldn’t I?” he said, hesitantly placing his hands on his hips, “…it is…inappropriate as your boss…”

“Can we…walk?” you suggested quietly, gesturing towards the door. He opened the door, and the two of you stepped out into the snow. “I’m attracted to you. I’ll admit,” you said, burying your face into your scarf, “and it won’t affect my work ethic because I’ve been attracted to you since I started.”

His flames grew a bit wilder, “…I am attracted to you as well…”

“But you are my boss,” you reminded him gently, and he nodded.

The two of you were silent as you walked, you stopped by the entrance to your apartment complex.

“So…do we just continue like…nothing happened?” you asked quietly.

“…do you wish to?”

You stared up at him. Did you? Not at all.

“No…”

The two of you stared at each other for a moment before he slowly reached up and brushed his fingers against your cheek. “…then would you care to come early to work tomorrow?”

“Why?” you said, leaning into his touch.

“…for a date.”

You blushed, “Only if you wear your red bowtie.”

He blinked his golden eyes at you before his mouth split open in a grin. “…for you, yes.”


	26. Family (SF!Sans/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reader is referred to as a wife

Family is everything to Sans. Everything. His brother is the most important thing in the world to him, and you know that. Though, since you had moved in with Sans…you’d been included in his definition of family as well. You were just as important to him as his brother but in very different ways. As much as he didn’t like to admit it verbally, Papyrus was his anchor. Papyrus was the reason why Sans _didn’t_ fall apart from just taking on too much and overloading his brain with stress.

Speaking of his relationship with Papyrus, he was used to being such a mother hen that in the beginning of living together and marriage, he attempted to act like he did with Papyrus…which had pissed you off. You weren’t going to lie. Though, Sans was also very quick with reading people that he figured it out and started to alter his ways way before you got to the point where it became a problem in the relationship. Just a small bump that ironed out and the two of you still discussed it because you wanted to be open about issues in your relationship.

Over the years, the stress decreased as Sans slowly learned that it was _okay_ to take breaks and to not have as much on his plate. Sure, what he had on his place every day of his life was triple what you would consider normal or healthy, but it was also three times less than what he used to have.

You glanced over at your husband as the two of you cooked side by side, a more recent development as Sans was slowly learning to loosen his reins on everything.

“Hey…Sans?” you said slowly, looking up from the meat that you were browning.

“YES, DEAR?”

“Uh…so…” you started, feeling your face heat up slightly in embarrassment, “what do you think…about…children?”

A pause, “THEY’RE SMALL AND ACT LIKE PAPYRUS WHEN HE’S DRUNK.”

Your eyes crinkled with your laughter, and he joined in quickly glad that he had made you laugh. You smiled brightly and replied, “Pft…I guess they do!”

As the humour faded away, Sans passed you the vegetables he cut up to add to the browned meat. “WHY DO YOU ASK?”

You took a moment to stir the ingredients together before answering, “I…uhm…want, I mean, I’d like to…discuss, having them? Perhaps. I mean, we don’t have to, it’s not like a make or break situation or anything like that, I just…honestly, I’ve never really thought about having kids, but lately? I just…if you’d want to, I think…maybe…I’d think about it more seriously?”

There wasn’t an immediate response, and when you looked over at him, he was staring at you with a rather intense look on his face. You knew better than just to come outright and tell him you wanted to have a child because well you wanted to, but you were also okay not having one, but if Sans heard you say that you wanted one? He’d freak out. Not because he was against it…but because that was unexpected.

Sans didn’t deal with unexpected things.

His entire life was centred around knowing things and being able to read people. If you randomly brought up the becoming parents without suggesting _talking_ about it first? That would throw him off guard so fast, and he would either clam up with a hard ‘no,’ or he would get incredibly nervous about the entire scenario.

“YOU WANT CHILDREN?” Sans asked, finally, face somewhat unreadable.

“I want…to talk about that option,” you said carefully, “If you’d like to.”

“I DON’T KNOW IF I WOULD MAKE A GOOD FATHER,” Sans said immediately, turning back to pay attention to prepping the pasta to be stuffed.

“You raised Papyrus,” you reminded him gently, “He turned out okay.”

“THE UNDERGROUND WAS MUCH DIFFERENT…I WAS MUCH DIFFERENT BACK THEN. THERE ARE THINGS I DID THAT I’M NOT PROUD OF, I WILL REMIND YOU, AND PAPYRUS’ VIEW ON ME IS SKEWED BECAUSE HE IDOLIZED THE THINGS I WASN’T PROUD OF…” Sans said voice firm, but you could see the fragility behind the tightening of his smile and the tenseness of his shoulders. Your heart hurt a bit, hearing those words from him.

You didn’t say the first words that sprung to your mind, which were ‘you did what you had to survive and keep your baby brother alive’ because he _hated _hearing that. As if it justified what he did because he was just doing what everyone else was doing. In his mind, you knew that nothing explained some of the darker things he did even if other people thought so.

Instead, you reached over,slid your arm around his broad shoulders, and pressed a kiss to his skull.

“You want to know how I see you?” you asked gently, nuzzling the side of his face.

His tension eased ever so slightly, “A HANDSOME SKELETON WHO MAKES AMAZING BREAKFAST FOR HIS WIFE IN BED?”

You laughed, “Yes, that, but I also see a skeleton who is great with patterns and numbers, who loves to learn new musical instruments, a great cook, and someone who his brother goes to whenever he needs advice about which laundry soap to use and to get help with his taxes. I see a skeleton who puts his all into his work but doesn’t do it at the sacrifice of missing time with his wife or spending time with his brother. A skeleton who wants everything to be perfect and not because that’s what’s expected of him by anyone else, but that’s what he expects of himself.”

He relaxed ever so slightly against you, “I KEEP TELLING PAPYRUS THE TYPE OF SOAP TO BUY BUT HE FORGETS EVERY TIME.”

“That’s because he just likes to hear you rant about the difference between soaps because he thinks it’s funny,” you remind him with a laugh as you pulled away to take the meat mixture off the stove. “If you don’t want kids, Sans, we don’t have to have them. Like I said, it’s not a make or break to our relationship; we can adopt a couple of cats instead…but for what it’s worth? I think you’d make a great father because you put your all into everything you do.”

Sans didn’t respond to that at first. The two of you continued to talk about Papyrus, which shifted to talking about Papyrus’ relationship and then inviting them both over for dinner soon. From there, it just took off as it usually did. Evolving from Papyrus to talking about whether or not you should fry up pumpkin seeds when the two of you carved pumpkins for Halloween.

It wasn’t until the two of you were getting ready for bed, that he brought it up again.

“I THINK…PERHAPS WE CAN SPEND SOME TIME DISCUSSING IT AND SEE HOW WE FEEL?” Sans said, stepping up behind you in your shared closet. You slipped on your nightshirt and glanced over your shoulder.

“Discussing what?” you asked dumbly, before picking out some sleep pants.

“CHILDREN.”

“Oh,” you said, eloquently, before turning around to face him, “Of course, yeah…I just wanted to put that idea out there. There’s no rush.”

He paused for a second before reaching forward and plucking the sleep pants from your hand. “OF COURSE…WHILE THE ACTUAL IDEA OF BECOMING PARENTS NEEDS SOME SERIOUS THINKING…I BELIEVE THAT WE CAN STILL ENGAGE IN THE…AHEM, FUN PART OF BECOMING PARENTS. AS THERE IS NO WORRY ABOUT ACCIDENTS.”

He wiggled his brow bones at you, making you laugh and say, “Oh my god, Sans!”

Sans leaned forwards, “That Won’t Be The Last Time You Say That Tonight, My Dear.”


	27. Shyness (UF!Grillby/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this one is pretty mature at a couple points, and Grillby, again, refers to the reader as 'wife'.

Grillby adored you.

There was literally no other way to describe the way he felt about you. He’d worship the ground you walked on if it wasn’t for his not giving a fuck reputation. There was just something…delightful about you. Something that made his SOUL sing and made him want to crush those who thought they had a fucking chance with you.

When he first saw you, you were humming quietly under your breath as you were debating between two different items at the grocery store. He’d been…annoyed as fuck because you were blocking the way. Of course, to his detriment, now he realized it was a blessing, the two of you had the same routine of shopping for groceries at the same time. Each time you were in a variety of different outfit styles from work clothes to leggings and a sweater, and one time you were in a dress.

The day you were in a dress was when he first flirted with you.

You had frozen, face screwing up in confusion, and then a beautiful blush decorated your cheeks as you squeaked out a thank you before hiding your face.

Of course, the fact that you had reacted so cutely made him want to continue flirting, but something in your demeanour made him back off. You were…uncomfortable. He’d merely winked at you and sauntered away instead, and the next time he saw you, he gave you a smirk and said hello but left you alone to your own devices.

After that, you would occasionally greet him when you saw him, and on the rarest of times, stop to chat with him.

Then surprise, surprise! You had appeared in his bar with a friend. Oh? He invited you up to his VIP section, and your friend had been surprised that ‘you were telling the truth about knowing the owner.’ That made him puff up because, of _course,_ you were talking about him.

Yet? You went and didn’t give him the time of day…which just piqued his interest more, and then his jealousy when the next time you graced his bar, you hit it up with Sans immediately. Grillby had been in a bad mood the rest of the night when you barely paid him any attention and laughed with Sans the entire night. Even as he muttered that if you wouldn’t sleep with _him,_ there was no way Sans was getting any either.

You had merely snorted in derision at that and turned back to Sans and…fucking tossed a few flirts right back at Sans! In front of him!

The only thing that stopped him from kicking Sans out for life after that was the fact that you went home alone, and then Sans had quietly informed Grillby why you weren’t giving him the time of day. An asshole cheater of an ex-boyfriend.

Grillby had made a comment about not looking for a relationship, but he found himself…considering it. But, in the end, he realized that his hands were too dirty for a relationship. Too much sin contained in his body, and as much as he paraded around pretending that he was hot shit, he fucking hated himself and everything he had become.

Then…you had actively avoided him, only for him to figure out that you were avoiding him because he was…a murderer.

It hit him hard.

Grillby got it, he really did. There was no one out there that could be more disgusted with himself than himself. If he went back in time and met the Grillby who fought in the war between humans and monsters? The Grillby, who was a guard, a Knight, a General? A virtuous second-generation fire elemental who hated the fact that he had to carry a weapon to defend his people. Hated the fact that he had to kill to defend his people.

What would that Grillby say to him now? The Grillby who had killed people before because of a whim?

It sickened him greatly to be reminded of his past, and for a while, he had become secluded…and then he had drunk too much and went to you. To explain himself, not for forgiveness…but to get that weight off his chest. You told him to go to therapy. So he did.

Not for you, but for the man he used to be.

The beginning of your relationship was rocky, but once you two got sure footing? It was smooth sailing.

Now? He had the pleasure of calling you his _wife._ The once incredibly shy, reserved women who would blush at even the tamest of flirts. The women who still hid her face if her shyness overwhelmed her. You were _his_ wife.

The pleasure of seeing the beautifully designed ring on your finger that the two of you had designed together and a delicate lace choker with a purple amethyst that rested on the hollow of your throat. The monster equivalent to a ring.

Of course, he wore a wedding band, a simple black band with an amethyst embedded into it that glowed from his flames. Apparently, Grillby stared at the ring a lot when he was thinking about you, according to Sans. Grillby thought very, very briefly about not wearing it but then got his ‘fuck it’ attitude. Anyone who had a problem that he was thinking about his wife could fuck off.

Right off.

He’d happily break his promise to you about not getting into as many fights if someone tried to tell him that giving a fuck about you was a weakness. After all, he didn’t get where he was by letting people walk over him. Plus, you said as many fights, not any fights. He’d even punch them with his left fist, so they _felt_ his wedding ring. Fuck them.

Grillby rolled onto his side, propping his head up on his hand to stare at your sleeping form.

You were lying naked beside him in all your beauty, a thin sheet covering your lower half and your hair splayed over your arm and pillow. He reached over and gently brushed aside a chunk of hair from your face.

The choker was resting alongside your wedding ring on your bedside table as you didn’t like to sleep with them on as the choker made you feel like you were…well choking if you woke up in the middle of the night, and you were afraid of losing the ring. He loved helping you put it on every morning, getting to stroke your shoulders and press kisses against your delicate skin.

Grillby leaned forward and nuzzled your soft, soft shoulder.

Fuck, he was so fucking soft around you.

He was glad that you weren’t big on PDA in public or else he might be caught being…cutesy in public. Then what would happen to his reputation? Stars. What was it about you that made him want to be okay with destroying his reputation? Swear off all this bullshit and return to that knightly asshole he used to be? He had drunkenly said that to you one night, after an incredibly rough therapy session, and you had looked at him and said that he wouldn’t be him if he wasn’t the ‘pompous purple prick.’

You mumbled sleepily and gently whapped his face with a hand before rolling onto your back, your head rolling to face away from him. A quiet chuckle reverberated through his chest at the light attempt to get him to stop nuzzling your skin in your sleep. He did stop because he didn’t want to wake you, but his eyes drank in your exposed chest and down to where the blanket was resting along your hips.

Grillby remembered the first time he had gotten you to bed. It was after he had gotten off work and came to visit you at what you described was ‘balls am.’ You were wearing cute mismatched pyjamas, and you sleepily were getting yourself water when he wrapped his arms around you and kissed your exposed shoulder. He couldn’t not; you were too fucking cute when you were tired.

His hand had slid across your stomach to rest on your opposite hip to pull you closer to him as he kissed up your neck. Of course, he had no intentions of taking that further, you had expressed your desire to wait for a while before the two of you had sex. Yet, you had finished your water, and then gently took his wrist and shifted his hand further down.

“Do you really want to go there?” he had whispered against your ear.

You nodded and breathlessly said, “yes…”

All of the progress you had made of shedding off your shyness when it was just you and him went out the door the moment he crossed the threshold of your bedroom. Your legs hooked around his waist, his head buried against your neck, and your arms were clinging to his head and back as you made the cutest noises in response to his nibbling and hot mouth against your sensitive neck.

You’d been so embarrassed your face was bright red, and you kept attempting to curl up and hide. He’d never experienced a lover like you, and so he was utterly lost when he started to pull up your shirt, and you had grasped it and let out an embarrassed noise preventing him.

“I…did I misunderstand? Do you not want to have sex?” he asked, genuinely confused and removing his hands from you immediately, “Did I cross any lines?”

“Uh! No!” you squeaked out, “I just! I’m…I!” you stammered, covering your face with one hand, “I want to! I just!….Nervous?”

He sat back, staring down at you, “…the fuck? Why?”

“Why?” you parroted back, peeking through your fingers, face still as red as your shirt. “B-because! I’ve…never…done…this?”

That surprised him, “never?”

You shook your head.

“Ever?”

Another head shake.

“You’ve had other partners before?”

“Not sexually,” you mumbled, embarrassed and sat up.

He realized at that point that he probably should’ve discussed _that_ aspect much earlier than when you were sitting in his lap, legs still around his hips, your lips slightly swollen from kissing, and your neck littered with small love bites. A wholly fuckable look, if he was honest. Still, Grillby had restraint, and his hands were still lifted away from you.

He had stared at you long enough that you quickly started to ramble. “I mean unless you count like fumbling in the dark, heh…plenty of that but not like with the lights on or…you know the man being made of fire. I get it if you’re weirded out because you’ve been with plenty of people who probably all have had more experience than me. I mean, I’m in my twenties and y’know had full-on sex? OR whatever you want to call it-“

It snapped Grillby out of his thoughts, and he lowered his hands back to your waist; you jumped slightly at the touch. “Well, then I guess I just use a different tactic.”

“Uh…w-what?” you said, looking down at his hands on your waist.

“Is this okay?” he asked, sliding his hand down before slipping them back up beneath your shirt. Your face darkened, and you nodded. He stopped, “gotta say ‘yes’ or some shit like that.”

“Y-Yes.”

He’d quickly figured out that you had an intense praise kink, and he kept that first time so languid and slow. Explore every inch of you, getting permission before doing anything, so you weren’t surprised. It eased you into what was happening, and slowly…so slowly, you uncurled like a beautiful flower. The shyness was still there, but it was buried by the feelings and emotions that were swirling through you. Honestly? It was probably his best fuck and one that he thought of on the rare occasions when you weren’t there to help sate his desires.

You were still shy in bed, and you rarely initiated sex because of that very reason…but when you did? He made sure to break out the praise.

He kissed your shoulder before relaxing back against the pillows.

You grumbled tiredly and pushed onto your elbows to peer at the clock, “…what’re you doin?” you mumbled, looking over at him.

“Appreciating my wife,” he drawled, voice crackling in the way he knew you liked. You blinked sleepily at him before you rolled towards him and onto his chest. He ran a hand down your back, and you pressed a kiss against his fiery chest. “My ravishing, sexy wife.”

Your face flushed at that, and you tucked your face against his chest and mumbled out, “who’re you talking about. ‘Ravishing.’”

He snorted, “You, my love.”

You curled slightly against him, and he trailed his fingers up your spine slowly. You peeked up at him, “m’all dishevelled from earlier, how is this ‘ravishing.’”

Grillby trailed his hand up to your hair and gripped it loosely to tug your head up a bit further. “Maybe I like how you look after I’ve fucked you.”

“Grillby!” you squeaked, face reddening.

He laughed, making you bounce slightly on his chest, “How are you still shy? I fucking talk like that so often you’d think you’d become immune by now.”

“I! Am not shy!” you blurted out as his fingers uncurled from your hair and returned to stroking your back. “I’m! Uh!” you gave up and buried your face against his chest.

“You’re one of the shyest fucking beings I know,” he retorted, before flipping over to press you into the mattress. Your face reddened, and you made a noise of surprise. “You wanna know what my favourite thing is?”

You wriggled slightly underneath him. Your gaze took in his features, no longer tired before you nodded slowly, your arms looping around his neck.

“It’s when I go down on you,” his hand slid down your chest, “you flush the prettiest shade of red…but the look on your face? The sinful delight in your eyes?” his hand slipped between your legs, and you arched against him, face reddening. “The most beautiful fucking thing in the world and I’m the only one who gets to see it. My beautiful, shy wife.”


	28. Proposal (UT!Grillby/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, this prompt was originally supposed to be yandere...but I’m not comfortable writing that atm??? So, I asked people what they’d rather read, and @theyaremorethanjustfictional over on tumblr said ‘Maybe the prompt being something like proposal and the ship is grillbyxreader? I love your writing by the way!’
> 
> (Awww thank you <3)
> 
> This is kind of a prequel to the Rain prompt.
> 
> OH! AND This one is gendered, Grillby refers to the reader as 'wife'.

It was date night!

Grillby had told you to dress up however you wished, and you would’ve totally just worn your usual…but Grillby being Grillby had laid out his outfit for the night before going to get the bar opened and make sure that Fuku had everything under control. Now, your boyfriend was always the classy, old fashion type. The only time he _ever_ wore anything less than a button-up with dress slacks was when he was home with you. (You still remembered the first time you saw him in sweats and a nerdy teeshirt you’d be so delighted.) However, the outfit he’d chosen? It was the one he only pulled out for special occasions.

You ditched the idea of wearing your regular immediately and dove into your shared closet to find something that would rival his. It took a while of rooting, but you pulled together a fancier outfit and then hurried into the bathroom to get ready.

You finished preening in front of the mirror a few minutes after Grillby had come home, gone into the bedroom, and then emerged once again. He quietly knocked on the bathroom door. You quickly opened the door with a smile, made one last adjustment before extending your arms slightly out beside you. “Ta-da!”

“…beautiful,” he said, his fire crackling warmly and there was the faint shift of his flames around his mouth to reveal his smile. You grinned before placing your hands against his cheeks and giving his lips a quick peck.

“You’re pretty handsome, yourself,” you said happily, “Are you ready?”

He leaned into your touch, “…whenever you are, my love.”

The affectionate term made your chest swell with affection and a giddy smile rise on your lips. You nodded as you reluctantly released his face, and your smile grew more as he caught one of your hands with his own and kissed your knuckles.

Awww, you fucking loved him so much.

As the two of you made your way downstairs to the car you began thinking about what he had planned. Grillby was an incredibly romantic monster, and you swore he got most of his romantic gestures from romcoms or cheesy romance novels. You’d never called him out on it, but there was the time you mentioned how couples didn’t just spontaneously dance to no music together like they did in the movie you were watching, Grillby had pulled you up from the couch, turned off the television and proved you wrong.

You grinned at the back of his head, you’d think he was romantic even if he took you into his own restaurant, and the two of you sat at the bar to just chat, even if Sans was there too. Everything he did when it came to you was just infused with love.

Grillby was the one to drive, and you…only grabbed the little handle on the door twice. He was getting better. Still not great, but he’d only gotten his full license a year ago. After you’d gotten into an accident at work and he couldn’t come get you because of his lack of driving abilities. He had gotten to the hospital after you had already been released and was merely waiting for him.

You got curious as he drove out of the city for a while, a good long while actually. Though, the two of you kept up the conversation easily especially as you had just finished watching a show together.

After probably an hour of driving, he had pulled off the main road, and after a short drive down the side road he pulled up to a tiny cabin facing a lake. Your eyebrows rose and you glanced over at him. “A cabin?”

He nodded, “rented for one night.”

“Oh my god,” you breathed out, it was gorgeous. It was the peak of fall, the oranges, yellows, and browns of the trees reflected off of the lake water beautifully. The cabin was small and from the looks of it, pretty off-grid. There was a tiny dock that you knew you’d probably lie down on later that night to watch the stars and hear the lapping of the lake water against it. (With Grillby waiting anxiously at the other end of the dock because water does not mix well with fire.)

You climbed out of the car and inhaled deeply, smelling the fresh air mixed with that distinct fall scent.

Oh, this was going to be a lovely night.

“Wait,” you turned to Grillby as he shut the car door, “I didn’t bring anything for the night.”

Grillby didn’t respond, just walked to the trunk of your car and pulled out a duffle bag, holding it towards you. You relaxed instantly and hurried to take it from him as he pulled out a small cooler as well. As he closed the trunk, you kissed his jaw quickly before darting over to the door of the cabin. You were so fucking excited for this night. An entire night of just…being with Grillby. No distractions.

The inside of the cabin, once Grillby unlocked the door, was one room. A small kitchen area was to the immediate left of the door, a small seating area that overlooked the lake, and a bed tucked into the back corner beside what you assumed was the bathroom. There was an old wood-burning stove fireplace beside the bed that you knew wouldn’t be used because your boyfriend was a walking, talking fire. It was decorated in the most outdoorsy, woodsy, lumberjacky way possible. Flannel covered all plush surfaces, and everything was stained wood.

“For Halloween, you should dress up as a lumberjack,” you said placing the duffle bag down on the bed. Grillby gave you a curious look, turning away from the cooler.

“…lumberjack?”

You explained what a lumberjack was to him, plucking at the flannel curtains when you described the aesthetic. “It’s a good look,” you finished before giving a chef’s kiss.

“…a sexy lumberjack?” he inquired next, and you got the image of Grillby with a button-up flannel completely unbuttoned, low-riding jean shorts, an axe, and a fire beard and you couldn’t help but start giggling.

“You’re always sexy,” you amended when he feigned upset at your laughing. He shook his head, but the amusement was clear in his flames. As you sobered up from giggling, he pulled a few items from the cooler. Hot chocolate mix? Marshmallows? Graham crackers? You gasped, “Are we seriously going to have a campfire?” you blurted out, moving to his side and taking the bag of large marshmallows from him.

“…of course,” Grillby kissed the top of your head, “…cuddling in front of a fire in the middle of the woods is peak romance…if I recall your words correctly.”

You grinned up at him, “I’m always cuddling in front of a fire.”

“…with a fire,” he corrected with a smile, before giving you another kiss. You giggled softly and gave his lips a few pecks before gesturing towards the door.

“Let’s get this fire going!”

You quickly figured out that when your boyfriend was literally fire making a campfire was easy-peasy. Though you did get to see Grillby cut wood, which he was amazingly good at, and you tried as well but Grillby freaked out after you split a piece in half, which fell onto another piece and you got pinged in the face by a catapulted chunk of bark. So, you were regulated to getting the food set up to make roasting marshmallows and making smores a streamlined process.

Instead of chairs, Grillby brought out a blanket and some pillows from your apartment and placed them relatively close to the fire, but still far enough away that there was no chance of accidentally catching anything on fire.

For the next three hours, the two of you did nothing but indulge in chocolatey, marshmallowy goodness, cuddle, watch the stars when they blinked into view, and talked quietly. It was…perfect. You were cuddled against his chest, contently warm against the chill of autumn night, and…you couldn’t be happier.

You peeked up at him, “I love you.”

“I love you too,” he replied immediately, kissing the top of your head. You hummed contently before he gently nudged you. “…I forgot something in the cabin.”

You reluctantly shifted away from him to let him head back into the cabin. After his light disappeared behind the door, you turned your attention back to the fire in order to add another log and watch it slowly catch.

This was honestly, the most surprising turn of events for date night. Grillby wasn’t normally the type of person who wanted to be away from home. Vacations to Grillby were days you just spent at home without working. You’d had a couple of those vacations with him, taking days off just so you could spend more time with your boyfriend. Even if it was surprising, you were delighted. This was…so relaxing. The sound of the lake waves lapping at the shore, the ambient noise of the fire and the forest around you, everything was just….beautiful.

Grillby startled you slightly as he sat down beside you, but you merely smiled and gave him a kiss in response to his apologetic look.

He cleared his throat, and you raised your eyebrow at that. There was only a few times where you had heard that come from your boyfriend and it was always followed by a lot of speaking. When he said your name, there was something different to the way he said it…as if he didn’t want to say anyone else’s name ever again.

Or you could just be feeling the cheesy romantic atmosphere and projecting.

“…We’ve been dating for five years now,” he started, intertwining his warm fingers with yours. You nodded in agreement, head tilting slightly. “…I’ve been alive for many, many more years than that and…I haven’t found anyone like you in my long life………..I thought the sunrise was the most beautiful thing in the world, but it’s nothing compared to that first smile………………..you give me every morning.”

He paused, hand squeezing yours for a moment. You knew it was uncomfortable for him to speak in long stretches, but you couldn’t speak. Your heart was in your throat and you turned towards him, eyes starting to prick with tears. He leaned forward and kissed away a tear that did escape, it sizzled and you laughed wetly.

“……I will forever be grateful for Papyrus dragging me to that…awful cooking lesson in the middle of the pouring rain because I met _you_…….You make each day full of love, dorky jokes, and joy. I know that I take a long time to make decisions…………………………………….and I have made you wait much longer than most would, but…” Grillby paused again, and cleared his throat again, “….I wish to be fully bonded with you to be forever yours. Will you marry me?”

He uncurled his other hand and held out a ring towards you. A small sob left your throat and you found yourself unable to say anything, you just started nodding vigorously, holding out your left hand. Grillby’s flames cracked erratically and brightened as he slid the ring onto your finger. The moment it was secure, you threw yourself at him kissing him in a way that you _hoped_ portrayed your excitement, happiness, and devotion to this flaming man.

One of his arms circled around you, pulling you close, and the other stroke your face, wiping away tears that evaporated as it came into contact with his fingers.

“Yes,” you managed to blurt out against his lips, not bothering to pull away to speak. He chuckled, peppering your face with kisses. “I love you so much,” you choked out, “being so…fucking…heartfelt. You dork.”

Grillby chuckled at your eloquent response to his proposal, and said,“…I can’t wait to call you my wife.”


	29. Passion (UT!Papyrus/Reader (Platonic))

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is more of a platonic relationship between Paps and Reader, but it could be read as if Reader and Paps have crushes but haven't reached the stage where they'd admit those feelings to each other yet.

There was one thing that you were sure about. People didn’t give a flying fuck about your interests. It happened time and time again, you’d start talking about something you loved, that inspired you, and you watched their faces grow bored, and they’d stop responding beyond ‘oh?’ and ‘mhm’s.’ It…hurt. Especially when you enthusiastically encouraged people to talk about their interests…but yet they couldn’t do the same for you.

So, you simply stopped talking about your interests. You held your favourite things close to your heart and deflected the conversation whenever someone tried to ask because it all turned out the same way every time.

That was until you met Papyrus.

His enthusiasm for his interests was limitless. He could chat all day long about his friends and his brother. Cooking was a favourite of his because you can cook with your friends and family! And then you get to eat that same food afterwards! Especially when it was edible! He loved action figures (or as he called them battle figures to help with strategy). His car was a favourite of his as well, and he frequently blogged about everything that he enjoyed.

His entire life was brimming with passion.

You were jealous.

Especially considering all his friends and family encouraged his enthusiastic reactions.

You kept those weedling uncomfortably jealous thoughts to yourself as with everything else negative in your life.

But then, Papyrus turned around one day while he was helping you set up your garden for the spring, and asked about your interests. It had been a long time since anyone just…asked. They usually would ask your opinions on things but never directly about what you liked. People stopped pretending they cared long ago.

So, it was a touch startling and uncomfortable when he just _asked_.

“Uhm…” you sat back on your heels, resting your dirt gloves on your gardening pants. “A…lot of things?”

“LIKE WHAT?” he asked cheerfully, “I HAVE KNOWN YOU FOR QUITE SOME TIME, HUMAN, AND YET THE OTHER DAY AS I WAS TRYING TO THINK OF WHAT TO GET YOU FOR YOUR BIRTHDAY I REALIZED THAT I DO NOT KNOW MUCH ABOUT YOU AT ALL! BEYOND YOUR FAVOURITE COLOUR, FAVOURITE FOOD, FAVOURITE WEATHER, AND THAT YOU ALSO ARE A BEING OF CULTURE AND LOVE DINOSAUR OATMEAL AS WELL.”

You felt a bit bad when he admitted he didn’t know much about you, but you perked up slightly, “You know my favourite weather? How?” you didn’t think you’d ever said before.

“OH! THAT’S EASY! WHEN WE WENT TO THAT NEW RESTURANT THE OTHER DAY AND IT WAS RAINING, YOU KEPT ZONING OUT WHILE STARING OUT THE WINDOW WITH A CUTE SMILE ON YOUR FACE. I COULDN’T EVEN BRING MYSELF TO ADMONISH YOU FOR LEANING YOUR ELBOWS ON THE TABLE!” he said shooting a brilliant grin in your direction before turning his attention back to the garden bed.

Cute? He thought your zone out smile was cute?

You blushed a bit at that.

“Oh…uh, what…what do you wanna know, then?” you asked quietly, returning your focus onto the garden you were attending to.

“ANYTHING AND EVERYTHING!”

You fell silent for a moment, “Um…I like…to write…”

He gasped, “YOU WRITE?”

“Heh…uhm, y-yeah,” you said shyly.

“THAT’S AMAZING! WHAT DO YOU WRITE?”

“Mainly fanfiction…I know it’s not really considered…y’know actual ‘writing’ but-“

“NONSENSE!” Papyrus said, “ALPHYS WRITES FANFICTION ALL THE TIME, AND SHE IS QUITE GOOD AT IT. EVEN IF SOME OF HER WRITING IS MORE…AHEM…MATURE THAN I WOULD HAVE THOUGHT HER CAPABLE.”

You let out a tiny laugh, “I…have written ‘mature’ fanfics before…even if that might be weird.”

“WHY WOULD IT BE WEIRD? YOU’RE EXPRESSING YOURSELF THROUGH WRITING! THAT’S AMAZING. I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAVE TRIED TO WRITE BEFORE…IT DIDN’T TURN OUT THE WAY I IMAGINED. I ENJOYED MYSELF IMMENSELY, BUT IT WAS NOT FOR ME! WOULD I BE ABLE TO READ SOME OF YOU WRITING?” he asked, and you turned to look at him. Cheeks flushing slightly with embarrassment.

“Um…ma-maybe not the fanfiction, but my own creations? Maybe?” you said shyly.

“YOU WROTE YOUR OWN STORY? WHAT’S IT ABOUT?”

You gave the vaguest description you could, mumbling it as you felt your ears heating up.

“KNIGHTS? MAGIC? THAT SOUNDS SO COOL! WOWIE. WILL YOU PUBLISH IT?”

“P…Probably not,” you admitted softly, glancing over at him. A frown pulled at the corner of his teeth.

“WHY NOT?”

You shrugged, “Can we talk about something else?”

You saw his brow bones crease slightly in concern. “AM I MAKING YOU UNCOMFORTABLE?”

“…not…I just…uh,” you hesitated to try to pull the words together in your mind, “I just…don’t like to talk about myself?”

“BUT YOU’RE SO COOL! YOU GARDEN! YOU WRITE! I’M SURE THERE IS MUCH MORE I HAVEN’T YET LEARNED ABOUT YOU, BUT I AM EAGER TO DO SO! AFTER ALL, YOU ARE MY SUPER COOL FRIEND! I CAN’T WAIT TO HEAR MORE ABOUT YOU.”

You hesitated, “You…do?”

“OF COURSE! BUT YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE! SO…I AM WILLING TO CHANGE THE SUBJECT! FOR NOW. I DO WISH TO KNOW MORE ABOUT YOUR STORY! BUT AT A LATER POINT, OF COURSE, BECAUSE I, THE GREAT AND UNDERSTANDING PAPYRUS, WON’T MAKE YOU DO SOMETHING THAT YOU’RE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH.”

You smiled hesitantly, which grew more genuine. “Thanks, Paps…I wish I were as passionate as you were about things.”

He blinked at you in surprise, “OH. BUT YOU ARE?”

“Uh…how?” you blurted out, gesturing to yourself.

“WHILE YOU ARE NOT VOCAL ABOUT IT, YOU ARE PASSIONATE! LAST YEAR WHEN KING ASGORE CAME OVER FOR TEA, HE WAS STUNNED BY YOUR GARDEN! I HAVE NEVER SEEN HIM SO AWED BY ANOTHER PERSONS GARDEN BEFORE! BECAUSE YOU PUT SO MUCH OF YOUR PASSION INTO MAINTAINING IT! ALSO! YOU WRITE FANFICTION! IF THAT’S NOT PASSION FOR SOMEONE ELSES WORK, I DON’T KNOW WHAT PASSION IS!”

That gave you pause, and then your smile returned, “heh…guess, you’re right.”

“REPEAT AFTER ME, ‘I AM PASSIONATE!’”

You laughed, “I am passionate.”

He beamed at you before reaching over and ruffling your hair, “I AM AMAZING!”

“I AM amazing,” you parroted happily.

“THAT’S RIGHT!” Papyrus jumped to his feet, “NOW A VICTORY LAP AROUND YOUR BACKYARD.”

“What? No! I didn’t sign up for that!” you laughed, wriggling, but he hoisted you up and literally carried you as he raced in a circle around the backyard before depositing you back on the ground. You were giggling madly, and he was grinning back at you.

“THERE IS THAT CUTE SMILE OF YOURS! I MISSED IT!” he said, leaning forward slightly and placing his hands on his hips.

The smile turned shy, as it always did when people pointed out your smile. “Thanks…Papyrus, you’re awesome.”

“I KNOW,” he said, the big egotist. “I AM PRETTY AWESOME, BUT YOU ARE A VERY CLOSE SECOND.”

“I am!” you retorted, feeding off his energy. “Now let’s show this garden, whose boss! Then we can have lunch!”

He cheered, sweeping you into a quick hug before the two of you got back into gardening with a renewed vigour.

That was the last time you had held back when it came to your interests.

Because Papyrus was enthusiastic in everything he did, especially encouraging other people to do what they love.


	30. Playdate (UF!Papyrus/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Egg is now the official cat of all my Reader's. I love her and I would die for her.

Egg had taken an interest in the cat that lived next door. The two of them would stare at each other for hours, and you always knew Egg saw her friend when she would start a soft trilling noise and start rubbing against the window screen. You thought it was adorable, honestly, and would always make sure the blinds were open so that she could see her friend on occasion.

You were aware that your neighbours were skeleton monsters, you’d seen the taller of the two quite frequently after they had bought the house. He was adamant about fixing it up and was a pretty good handyman if the slow shift from the house with a rotting porch, chipped paint, and overgrown yard to a home with a brand new porch, fresh paint, and a neatly manicured yard was anything to go by. The cat had started to appear in the window about two months ago. It was a very, very light grey tabby with mediumish hair, and he was missing a leg, an eye, and part of an ear.

Honestly? You wanted to know the cat’s story…but you were shy as hell and going over to talk to your neighbours for any reason was scary enough as it was, so you weren’t going to go over to ask about their _cat_. Plus, you felt weird about asking…like you were admitting you looked into their house.

So, you kept your curiosity to yourself.

Until one day, you were unloading groceries, and the cat darted out of your neighbour’s house. You nearly tripped over the fleeing feline as it flew under your feet and into your open door.

You made a startled noise and hurried up your steps. The taller skeletal monster rushed over.

“DID YOU SEE WHERE SHE WENT?” he nearly demanded.

“In my house! Come on!” you blurted out, throwing your groceries on the ground. 

Egg was an indoor cat and had never gotten along well with other cats, so you were terrified that she’d attack your neighbour’s cat. You threw your groceries on the floor and immediately started clambering to find your neighbour’s cat or Egg whichever you found first. If you found Egg, you were going to toss her into your bathroom while you combed through the house trying to find the tabby.

You and your neighbour frantically searched until you heard a low growling yowl from the laundry room. He was over to the door first, and you poked your head in to see Egg growling at the slowly approaching tabby.

“Ah! Grab her!” you said, “Egg doesn’t get along with other cats!”

He reached down to grab his cat, but the tabby jumped as if startled and bounded over on three legs up to the laundry basket Egg had been napping in. The cat stood up rather awkwardly on it’s one back leg and leaned forward to sniff Egg. Egg bristled for a moment, giving a warning hiss, before leaning forward and sniffing in return.

That…confused you.

The last time Egg had met another cat; she had bristled, hissed, and then immediately started to swat and spit in anger. Instead, she sniffed at the cat before relaxing. The other cat scrambled up and started grooming Egg’s head.

“Uh…ok…” you mumbled, “That’s…werid…”

Your neighbour seemed confused as well, and then scooped up his cat. “I APOLOGIZE FOR OUR INTRUSION INTO YOUR HOME. MY IDIOT BROTHER LEFT THE FRONT DOOR OPEN WHEN HE WENT FOR HIS SMOKE.”

“Ah…it’s fine,” you waved a hand vaguely, “I’m just glad that your cat decided to go someplace…relatively safe than darting onto the street.”

He seemed just as awkward as you felt as he cleared his…throat? Before nodding, “I AM TOO. SHE HASN’T HAD THE BEST EXPERIENCE WITH ROADS.”

Your eyes flicked down to the cat, and you opened your mouth to ask, but then Egg started purring loudly, and both of you glanced down to see her circling your neighbour's legs while purring like an engine. “Ah…she likes you,” you said with a soft smile before bending down and picking her up. “She’s normally not this friendly,” you admitted.

“NEITHER IS MINE.”

More silence.

“I AM GOING TO GO NOW,” he announced suddenly, “SORRY FOR THE INTRUSION.”

You nodded lightly before leading him back to the front door. He stepped out, keeping a good hold on his cat, gave you a stiff nod, and then headed back over to his house. You put Egg away in your bedroom before finishing your grocery trips.

That wasn’t the last time that happened either. About a month later, you heard something at your back door, and when you opened it, the tabby slipped in past you and in its little hop walk hurried off deeper into your house. You peered out of your back door and attempted to see if you could see your neighbour, but there was nothing. So, you closed your door and went to find the tabby with much less urgency now that you were aware that Egg at least tolerated the three-legged cat.

It took a bit before you found them, the two were…curled together sleeping on your couch. You took a picture on your phone before gathering up the tabby who gave a little warning growl at you, but you merely pulled your sleeves over your hands. “Grumble all you want,” you said to the cat, “but your home is next door, not here.”

You exited through your front door and crossed over to your neighbours, knocking.

It took a few minutes, but the taller skeleton answered the door again and looked surprised at who you were struggling to keep a hold of.

“HOW?” he blurted out in surprise, quickly taking the cat from you.

“I don’t know? She was scratching at my back door.”

“SANS! WERE YOU SMOKING AGAIN?” the taller skeleton shouted into the house, a glare etched into his features.

“yeah,” came a very faint reply, “why?”

“SHE GOT OUT AGAIN! I SWEAR TO ASGORE IF ANYTHING HAPPENS TO HER, YOU’RE GOING TO GET SO MUCH WORSE!”

“she just goes over to the neighbour's house,” the faint reply came again, “besides you-“

“NO EXCUSES!” the taller one shouted, but you saw a soft blush on his cheeks, he turned back around to you. “I’M SORRY FOR MY BROTHERS INCOMPETENCE.”

You waved a hand, “no worries. Oh!” you pulled out your phone and opened up your photos. You showed him the picture of Egg and the tabby curled up together, “She’s surprisingly fast for only three legs and got comfy before I found her again.”

He was silent for a moment before he nodded, “SHE IS INCREDIBLY FAST….MAY…WOULD YOU SEND ME THAT PHOTO?”

“Oh? Sure! What’s your number?” you asked, cheerfully opening up a new message. He recited it to you, and you quickly sent the photo off. “Do you mind if I keep your number? I hope she doesn’t get out again, but just in case?”

A heartbeat, and then, “YOU MAY.”

“What’s your name? Just so I’m not putting ‘Tall neighbour’ into my phone,” you said awkwardly with a small laugh.

“PAPYRUS, AND YOURS?” he asked, and so you told him as you entered his name and saved his phone number.

“It’s nice to meet you officially, Papyrus,” you told him, giving him a small smile before shoving your phone back into your pocket. “Anyways, I’ll get out of your…” he doesn’t have hair, “I’ll go now. Goodbye.”

He said goodbye, and you hurried down the steps and back over to your house.

You were so awkward. Why were you so awkward?

Over the next couple of months, you slowly figured out more and more about your skeleton neighbour and his cat. You were delighted to learn that the grey tabby was named ‘Doomfanger.’ A very obvious difference between your naming styles, considering you named your cat Egg because she was white and fluffy with a spot of cream fur on her stomach. While Papyrus called his cat Doomfanger because a fierce cat needed a tough name.

Of course, Doomfanger kept escaping at any given opportunity, so you did what any sane cat person would do. You jokingly suggested kitty play dates, thinking that Papyrus would instantly bash that idea down because that would be ridiculous. Instead? He encouraged it even, saying that Doomfanger needed friends of her own.

So, you found yourself welcoming Papyrus into your home every Friday night. Occasionally you’d bring Egg over to his place. Still, after the third time she got spooked by Sans using his shortcuts and appearing, you and Papyrus decided that not terrifying your cat was a better option.

You’d be lying if you said that you hadn’t developed a crush on your neighbour. He was very…regal but also a big goof, especially when his brother was involved. They bickered in a way that only siblings could, with great indignation but without the barbing aspect of usual arguments. The kitty playdates eventually faded away from focusing on the cats to actually just hanging out with your neighbour, which didn’t help your crush.

The first time he offered to cook food, you’d been surprised and then felt horrible because you could barely eat it. Papyrus then admitted that he never actually saw anyone eat his lasagna, and his brother told him it was great. When you asked him why he didn’t eat it, he merely said that why would he eat food that he prepared for other people?

So, you broke out your apron and proceeded to give him weekly cooking lessons on top of the kitty play dates.

The two of you just finished dinner, and now you and Papyrus were enjoying some drinks on your couch and chatting idly about your animals, family, and work. You usually didn’t have any alcohol, but Papyrus enjoyed the occasional glass of wine you learned, so you bought cheap-ass red wine to serve to him when he came over. So, he was nursing a glass of wine while you were drinking your favourite drink.

Egg and Doomfanger were currently snoozing in front of the fireplace that you had turned on since it was starting to snow outside. Papyrus’ red eye lights flickered over to you after the conversation lulled naturally, and the two of you had been merely staring at the two cats sprawled in front of the fireplace. Neither of you spoke for a while, and his eyes returned to the cats.

“YOU’VE NEVER MENTIONED…A PARTNER, BUT YOU SPEAK QUITE HIGHLY OF YOUR FRIENDS. DO YOU NOT HAVE ONE?” Papyrus asked suddenly, almost startling you.

You shook your head, “Nope. What about the fearsome Papyrus? Is there anyone you like?” you asked. Over the months you’d known him, you’d gotten much more comfortable around him, enough so that you felt okay teasing and joking around with him.

“I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR DATING,” Papyrus said quickly, a bit too quickly.

You tilted your head, and then smiled as you took a sip, “But you have time to come for kitty play dates?”

His face flushed, “THAT IS JUST BECAUSE I AM SUCH A GREAT CAT OWNER AND FRIEND. I MUSTN’T DEPRAVE DOOMFANGER OF VALUABLE SOCIAL INTERACTIONS SIMPLY BECAUSE I AM SO BUSY.”

“You’re the best cat owner,” you agreed, inclining you glass towards him, “All other cat owners should be jealous.”

“AGREED.”

More silence, and then you risked stealing a peek over at him.

“So…you may not have time for dating, but you never said anything about not having feelings for anyone…” you said, keeping your voice light with an air of teasing. He stiffened slightly, and his eyes flicked over to you before he blushed a bit more and looked away, quickly taking a sip of wine.

“NO! OF COURSE NOT! I DON’T HAVE FEELINGS FOR ANYONE.”

The smallest touch of disappointment settled in your chest, and you looked away while muttering, “Oh. Sorry I pried.”

“DO…DO YOU?” he asked after a moment, you looked up.

“Do I…what?”

“HAVE FEELINGS FOR ANYONE?” he asked.

You hesitated dropping your gaze to your hands, slowly twirling your drink in your glass. “Uh…yeah, actually. I do.”

“WHO?”

Your face started heating up, and you laughed lightly, awkwardly, “Uh…someone…”

“THAT DOESN’T NARROW IT DOWN,” Papyrus griped, and you laughed.

“You going to vet him?” you teased, “Make sure he’s good enough?”

“OF COURSE NOT,” he said in a way that told you he was lying.

“Well, you like puzzles,” you smiled, “I’ll tell you about him, and you can figure out who he is from that.”

His eye sockets narrowed slightly before he nodded. “I ASSUME IT IS SOMEONE I KNOW.”

“It is.”

“IS IT SANS?”

You choked a bit on your drink, “Nope!”

“VERY WELL, PROCEED.”

“He’s tall,” you started, “handsome, he’s pretty good at cooking, he’s shy but doesn’t like people to know that about him, so he seems very extroverted. He’s great at photography, and I think he enjoys knitting as well.”

A few moments passed as Papyrus stared at you with narrowed eyes, gears whirring in his head. Then a look of almost disappointment crossed his eyes.

“IS IT GRILLBY?”

You frowned slightly, “Who...is Grillby?”

“THEN IT’S NOT. THANK ASGORE. GRILLBY’S FOOD IS GREASY, AND I DO NOT RECOMMEND GOING TO HIS NIGHTCLUB.”

“I…wouldn’t go to a nightclub,” you said, stifling a laugh. “But you got it wrong.”

“IS IT A MONSTER OR HUMAN?” he asked next.

“Monster.”

A few minutes passed, and you swore he was considering every other monster, figuring out if you knew them, and the likely hood of whether or not it would be that monster. Then his phone went off, and he answered it snappishly. You tried not to really focus on his conversation, but he grumbled.

“SPEAKING OF GRILLBY AND SANS, I NEED TO GO AND GET MY BROTHER’S DRUNKEN ASS.”

You hid your disappointment, “Alright,” you said with a sigh before getting up, “I enjoyed today, though. Same time next week?”

“OF COURSE,” he scoffed before giving a quick whistle. Doomfanger opened an eye socket lazily before stretching and slinking over to her own. With a quick leap, she climbed up his back and settled around his shoulders. “I HAVE A NEW RECIPE I’D LIKE US TO TRY. I’LL BRING THE INGREDIENTS.”

“Sounds good,” you said with a smile as you walked him to the door. “Have fun picking up your brother.”

“IF YOU THINK PICKING UP A DRUNK SANS IS FUN, THEN YOU DO IT,” he grumbled half-heartedly as you opened the door. He hesitated for a moment before stepping out into the cold, “GOODNIGHT, HUMAN.”

“Goodnight, skeleton!” you retorted, earning his famous irritated glare before you waved with a giggle and closed the door behind him.

It wasn’t until you heard him arrive home with Sans, and you had gotten into bed to watch stupid videos before going to sleep that you got a text.

\---

Papyrus’ mind had been going non-stop ever since you told him you had a crush on someone. Of course, the first monster he thought that filled your description was himself…BUT! That was impossible! Well, not impossible, he wouldn’t blame you if you fell for him, he was a dashing, powerful monster after all.

What was confusing was the fact that he didn’t _believe_ you. Were you teasing him? Did you know about his crush and were simply joking? You were the teasing kind…but would that extend to teasing him about his romantic inclinations towards you?

He couldn’t help himself as he strode back into his room after making sure Sans was out of his jacket and cuddled up to his giant ball of blankets.

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 10:48 PM: ** _THERE IS ONLY ONE MONSTER THAT FITS THAT DESCRIPTION THAT I KNOW._

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 10:48 PM: ** _SO I HAVE DEDUCED YOU WERE LYING TO ME!!!_

He began pacing but didn’t have to wait long for your response.

**You 10:48 PM: ** _Nope! Who do you think it was?_

Should he just come out and say himself? He didn’t want to say it in case you were tricking him! Not that you were the malicious sort…but one could never be too careful.

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 10:52 PM: ** _IT DOESN’T MATTER WHO I THINK_

**You 10:53 PM: ** _What? No! D: I was hoping you’d help me ask him out._

His SOUL jumped. Ask out? Were…what if it was him?

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 11:03 PM: ** _I HAVE THOUGHT OF EVERY MONSTER THAT I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW AND THE ONLY ONE WHO FITS THAT DESCRIPTION IS MYSELF, BUT WE BOTH KNOW YOU DON’T HAVE FEELINGS FOR ME._

**You 11:04 PM: ** _Would that be so bad if I did?_

Papyrus squawked in surprise, and then froze and listened. His brother didn’t instantly quip about the noise, so he was safe. His SOUL was thrumming so loudly.

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 11:07 PM: ** _NOT AT ALL AS I AM VERY GREAT AND IT IS NO SURPRISE YOU HAVE FALLEN FOR ME IF THAT IS THE CASE._

This time it took you a while to respond, and Papyrus paced back and forth in his room. He was still so worried you were joking.

**You 11:11 PM:** _So…would you like our next kitty playdate to be a…datedate between us?_

Papyrus sucked air in through his teeth sharply. A…datedate? Like…a proper date? This! Was unexpected! But entirely welcome!!!

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 11:11 PM:** _ I WOULD._

**You 11:12 PM:** _Really?_

**The Tall And Great Papyrus 11:12 PM:** _YES._

He was a little worried that you would say ‘I was just kidding,’ but then he got a photo sent to him from you. He opened it, and it was you cuddled up to Egg (a ridiculous name for a cat), beaming at the camera in your pyjamas.

**You 11:14 PM:** _I can’t wait!!!_

Neither could Papyrus.


	31. First 'I Love You' (Gaster/Reader)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I asked on tumblr which pairing the final prompt should be, and theyaremorethanjustfictional said: i think gaster x reader would be cute! Keep up the great work!
> 
> So! The first chapter is Gaster and the last is Gaster!!! Wooo!
> 
> Also, I really like this one so it _might_ become a multi-chaptered fic? Woops.

Some things are meant to be forgotten. Some things that we put effort into forgetting. Some things we only temporarily forget. Others that we think we forgot, but a simple nudge can reawaken even the most buried memories.

Unfortunately, you were wiped from the memories of your loved ones. Doomed to realize that you didn’t truly exist anymore. There was no trace of you anywhere. Well...that wasn’t true. Your things were there, and they sparked people’s feelings of ‘I forgot something’...but they could never truly remember who owned them.

You huffed out a sigh as you leaned back, lifting your feet from the floor and allowed yourself to float freely in the void.

You sighed into the void as another day passed you by. Or…you assumed it did? Because, well, you couldn’t tell? Everything was the same in the void. Black inkiness as far as your eyes could see! There was nothing here besides you. At least, that’s how it was for…however long it was that you had been trapped here. Sometimes you couldn’t remember why you were in the void.

Did it matter anymore? You were stuck.

Nothing mattered from before.

What was it...day 1825? Or was it 1826? At this point, the only way you knew was when the space between the void and your previous universe thinned. Typically during a RESET, LOAD, or if that one monster leapt through too many shortcuts in a short amount of time. It granted you the ability to transverse the universe as if you were part of it again...well, you felt more like a ghost. Some people could see you, but most just had a vague sense of someone watching them.

Frisk was the one who saw you the most, and every time they tried to talk to you...but your voice came out garbled. The effect of the Void corrupting your body slowly.

Another sigh.

Then a louder one.

Then you let out a frustrated sigh, tugging your knees towards your chest and tugging lightly at your hair.

“WHY!!” you shouted to the void, letting out all your anger in the following scream. You really didn’t expect anything or anyone to answer you. For the past five years, you had been alone, floating in the nothingness. Honestly, you were shocked you hadn’t gone insane by yourself yet.

“WHO ARE YOU?”

It startled you bad enough you knee’d yourself in the face. Stars flashed behind your eyelids as you curled up tighter and moaned. Then the fact that someone had _spoken _sunk in. The eagerness in your chest outweighed the small voice, wondering if you should be scared of the fact that _something_ had been in the void with you.

You twisted around in the void until you spotted a distorted figure watching you. It was mostly a large black goopy mass with two white skeletal hands with two large holes in the palms. Its head was reminiscent of a skull, but...melted. One eye was drooping, and its mouth seemed permanently twisted into a grin that looked more like a painful grimace. Cracks ran from each eye socket, which looked painful.

“Who are you?” you blurted out, shifting closer to it.

It didn’t occur to you that it could be dangerous.

If you died...well, that would be it.

You didn’t care.

“I ASKED YOU FIRST. HOW COME I DIDN'T NOTICE YOUR ENTRANCE INTO THE VOID?” its voice seemed to be an odd mix between sound and hand gestures. If...a voice could be described that way. Honestly, you couldn’t even pick up whether it was feminine or masculine. It just was. Either way, you couldn’t understand what the monster was trying to say to you, and when you voiced it, the monster seemed to deflate slightly.

“Oh...mood,” you mumbled, “of course I’d finally meet the only other creature in this god-damned void, and I can’t even understand ‘em.”

That had been your first encounter with the monster. Actually, you hadn’t left each other’s presence since seeing each other. Time meant nothing in the void, and you rarely felt the urge to sleep anymore, mostly doing it to past ‘time.’ Even if you couldn’t understand them, something was comforting of knowing there was someone else to share in your agonizingly dull existence.

Of course, since there wasn’t much the two of you could do when the void was separate from universes, you started to list off words for them to repeat back to you — starting with ‘yes’ and ‘no.’

Eventually, you figured out that his gestures corresponded with letters, and after committing them to memory, you realized it was faster to figure out what he was saying. If there was a word that you didn’t understand audibly, you could look at his hands to see the word spelt out.

Gaster, as you soon found his name to be, was probably the best companion you could’ve asked for in the void. He was incredibly smart, and had a dry-witty sense of humour and could pop out puns like nobodies business.

“You know,” you said one day, choosing to float upside down. Or was he upside down? You couldn’t really tell in the void. There was no gravity or anything like that. “You remind me of a skeleton I knew back in the real world.”

“Sans or Papyrus?” Gaster asked calmly, and you nodded. Nothing...really surprised you anymore. Maybe you were becoming numb to it all, but it could also be because you were becoming corrupted. You wondered if Gaster really felt anything anymore, or if he just made jokes and puns out of pure habit. Gaster was silent for a while before he made a noise of triumph. “Ah. I remember you.”

Your eyebrows shot up, “Really?”

“Of course. Whenever the fabric of reality is weakened, I would visit my sons. You frequented Grillby’s establishment, correct?” Gaster questioned, a hand reaching up to stroke at his chin lightly.

“Establishment? Old man...” you teased, grinning at him. He shot you a withering look. “But yeah. I...guess you could say I ‘frequented’ it.”

The vagueness was an instant attractant to Gaster; his gloopy form moved closer. “Could you elaborate?”

“If you’re asking if I had a relationship with Sans? Ha! No! He’s...a greasy, geeky gremlin...no offence or whatever,” you waved a hand.

“Oh, no. That is a very accurate description of my son,” Gaster’s skull nodded, “It is a blessing you were not with my son. He does not need to lose a mate and a father to the void.”

Father? That...made sense actually. No one knew where the two skeletons had come from, even Grillby, who said he swears he knew the brothers for longer than he actually did. Just something was telling him that he didn’t have the whole picture. If Gaster was their father, and he was erased by the Void like you? Well, then. It explained a lot.

“Were you mated to anyone?” Gaster asked, and then hummed quietly, and added, “Is that the term humans use for their relationships?”

“It’s not really...we’ve got a bunch of different terms,” you mumbled, but the original question? That made your chest ache, and you shifted into more of a curled ball, so you weren’t looking at him anymore. “Not anymore.”

Silence met your answer before disembodied hands patted your head and then your back gently collided with the goopy semi-solid form of Gaster. “I too lost my mate when I entered the Void.”

You huffed softly and allowed him to shift you into more of an embrace. The gooey black goop probably would’ve triggered your ick factor if you had actually felt _anything_ in the past five years. However, the moment you felt the touch of someone else? Your felt tears prick at the corner of your eyes. You twisted slightly so you could wrap your arms the best you could around his large misshapen form.

You weren’t sure how long the two of you held each other.

But there was nothing better to do.

“Unfortunately, you are here, but...I must admit, I am glad you are,” Gaster spoke up after what seemed like forever of silence. You nodded against his chest.

“I’m glad you’re here too. The void wouldn’t be quite as goopy without you,” you teased, pulling away from him, watching as some of the goop clung to your arms. It dissipated quickly, leaving you once again just as how you entered the void. Gaster’s eye lights rolled in their sockets, but his smile seemed to grow once again.

There was a shifting feeling that was so jarring and familiar. You twisted around, attempting to find the door in the darkness. Gaster’s disembodied hand twisted your head towards the source, and you made a cheerful noise. It was a bittersweet feeling every time you saw the Void allowing you temporarily to see your friends and family. See how they were doing.

In the blink of the eye, you were at the door, twisting the handle and pulling it open. There was no hesitation in your movements.

You were going to be able to see him again! You were giddy with excitement.

Another blink and you were standing in Grillby’s bar.

A hand landed on your shoulder, and you jerked in surprise.

“I apologize, I did not mean to startle you,” Gaster apologized, grinning down at you.

He...was different out of the void. He was more...put together? There was less goop, at least. Taller too. But then again...you didn’t really ‘see’ his goop in the void, more like felt it. It was black, like the rest of your surroundings. Here, he was slimmer than you thought he was, and it looked like the goop was more of a cloak about his shoulders instead of his complete form.

You wouldn’t know unless you...y’know, stuck your hand into the goop, and you weren’t about to do that.

Or maybe you would.

Yeah. You would stick your hand in the goop once you were back in the void.

You had little shame anymore.

You’d totally ask first.

Regardless, there was more...pressing manners to deal with.

Your attention whipped around to see Grillby chatting it up with Sans at the bar. You appeared at his side and smiled warmly up at him. He looked the same. Five years...and he hadn’t changed. Even his glasses were still the same, even though he kept complaining that he needed new ones. You reached up, and your fingers ghosted his jaw. His hand came up and gently scratched at the place you touched. The most anyone would notice you were there...a gentle annoyance that they’d absentmindedly scratch, rub, or brush.

“Ah,” Gaster’s voice interrupted your thoughts, and you glanced over at him. “This is curious.”

“What?” you grumped, leaning against the bar. There was only slight resistance to tell you that there was something there...but you could walk through it. It would be like walking through chest-high water, but you could do it.

Gaster’s disembodied hands patted his son's head, and Sans reached up and rubbed at the top of his skull as he joked with Grillby. “We are...more connected than I thought.”

“How so?” you questioned, following along as Grillby headed down the bar to talk to the Guard Dogs who were ordering another round for the poker table.

“I was so worried that my son would have been left behind by both his father and a mate...but I did not consider another possibility. Which...I wholly blame on my mind not being as...” Gaster hesitated as if he was trying to find the right word, “present as it used to be. It seems as if we share a mate.”

You freeze, staring up at your fiery boyfriend.

That...

What?

“Grillby and I were...together, once upon a time. Back when I was still whole and not shattered across time and space,” Gaster clarified, making you realize you had voiced your question aloud instead of quietly like you had thought you did. You glanced over at Grillby and slumped slightly.

“So...he lost two mates to the void?” you whispered as you followed Grillby back over behind the bar. Grillby sat down in the barstool next to Sans. You saw the skeleton briefly glance over as if he _had _spotted someone sitting down, but you and Gaster both knew he couldn’t actually see either of them. No one could.

Well, Frisk could sometimes see you, and every time that happened, you cried, and they reached out and patted your head in comfort. They would sign at you, but you had never learned before you entered the void as foolish as that seemed now.

“Thankfully, I do not believe Grillby knows that he _has _lost anyone. I do believe that Sans is aware that there are now two beings within the void, and he might have deduced who it was...but I cannot be sure, unfortunately,” Gaster explained, gesturing towards his son with one hand as he spoke. You leaned against the counter and let out a soft sigh. A hand materialized beside your shoulder and patted it lightly.

“What happens when we leave?” you asked quietly, “Will we ever get out of the void?”

There was a long stretch of silence where the two of you simply listened in on Grillby and Sans’ conversation. They were talking about Papyrus getting accepted into University, about the monsters in general, and about how Frisk was graduating from middle school. Finally, another hand materialized and turned your head away from Grillby to look at Gaster.

“I cannot promise you that we will ever get out...I...have given up long ago,” he said, voice impossibly soft. “I did not tell you that before because I was afraid you’d lose your own hope...and I did not want to cause it.”

You glanced down at the bar top, and his fingers slid from your face as the hand disappeared once again. His two actual hands were folded on the bar top, and he wasn’t looking at you, but over your shoulder at Grillby. You saw the same bittersweet feeling in his eyes that you felt every time you were given a chance to see your Grillby.

“Hey...” you said, reaching over and placing your hands on top of his. “At least we’ve got each other now. We’ll probably get bored with each other eventually but until then? It’s better than nothing.”

Gaster searched your eyes for a moment and then his permanent grin stretched a bit more. “I agree.”

You squeezed his hands, and the two of you listened quietly to the rest of the conversations in the bar, just holding hands. Eventually, the door beckoned you both back within it, and with the greatest reluctance, you stepped back into the void. A few quiet moments passed between you and Gaster before you turned towards him. “Can I stick my hands in your goop?”

“Excuse me??” he blurted out, “What kind of question is that?”

“Are you all goop?” you asked, shifting closer, “Or are you boney? Come on, Gaster, it’s for scientific research!”

Gaster huffed out, “I am mostly goo in the void.”

You tilted your head but allowed that to be the end of that conversation as he seemed uncomfortable with it until he started questioning you about human biology instead.

Conversations flowed between the two of you quickly, and sometimes the two of you would just walk around the void holding hands. Occasionally you’d spot a distant blip of Sans or Papyrus slipping through the void in their very different ways. Papyrus never truly entered the void; it was like he moved in the spaces between reality and the void.

You stopped trying to count the days, and you found yourself growing fond of the goopy monster you spent your days with. The dry sarcasm, quick puns, and the endless abundance of knowledge that satiated your craving to learn and to grow even if you were stuck.

Eventually, Gaster even let you stick your hands into his goop to your intense giddy excitement! It was warm and comforting as it always was when he hugged you, but you pushed past that outer layer of goo and eventually found a bone. It was…gross feeling, but you smiled brightly still. “Cool!” you blurted out, tilting your head in curiosity.

Time passed, and you were practically glued to Gaster’s side, not literally. Though sometimes the goo stuck a bit longer to you until you flicked it off. You caught him occasionally blushing after a cuddle session or when you successfully shot back with a witty pun or recited some scientific knowledge back to him during a conversation. The two of you were more likely to be cuddling together, holding hands, or anything that meant you could feel something…anything.

“Do you think if we get out of here…you’ll not want to talk to me ever again?” you asked suddenly one day, cutting him off accidentally.

His head tilted slightly, peering down at you where you were snuggled against his goopy chest. “Why would I not?”

“Just…you probably know everything about me by now. Will you be bored of me? I could see you being bored of me,” you admitted, and he gave you the most offended look you’d _ever_ gotten from him.

“I would not! The mere thought is ridiculous. I know who you are in the void! A stagnant version of yourself! Imagine what I could learn about you in an ever-changing world? I, for one, would be more intrigued to spend time with you out of the void!” he said, a hand reaching up to brush aside some of your hair from your face. It hadn’t grown at all since you had been here. Nothing had changed. “Would you grow bored of me?”

You shook your head, “Couldn’t imagine it, Dings.”

A half-hearted glare was sent down at you before he leaned down and nuzzled your forehead with his own. That surprised you a bit; that was a touch more affection than you were used to but…you nuzzled back. “There is no one I’d rather face a different world with than with you,” he said softly, “besides, who else better to help my goopy coccyx adjust to the human world again than a human!”

You snorted, “Sans can teach you how to floss.”

“Floss? I know how to floss?” Gaster said, sounding entirely too confused. You laughed.

“It’s a silly dance,” you told him, giggling all the while.

“Ridiculous name for a dance,” he muttered, shaking his head.

“Old goopy man,” you teased, nuzzling his face.

Time flooded by the two of you without meaning, and you found the fondness grow to deep affection. You were falling for Gaster, and you knew it…but there was no pressure here. There was no reason to freak out about the feeling, so you just embraced it. Allowed yourself to become more affectionate, compliment him…just everything you were too afraid to do in the ‘real world’ because of judging eyes.

The door between the two worlds opened again, and you found yourself wanting to stick with Gaster instead of flit off to Grillby’s bar. Instead, the two of you were watching as Sans tiredly sucked down coffee and compared notes with Alphys about the void. Gaster’s head tilted curiously.

“I…do not believe it,” he muttered, bending unnaturally over his son to read the notes closer. “They…are getting close.”

“How close?” you asked, looking over from where you were currently snooping around the lab.

A slight more of a head tilt, but he remained silent for a while. Sans and Alphys’ voices were the only that filled the room, but then Gaster straightened. “Two years if they keep on track at this pace,” he admitted, “Maybe less depending on whether they figure out which line of code is slightly off.”

“Two years?” you repeated, “That’s…soon,” you said in amazement.

He nodded.

The two of you were silent for a while longer.

“Holy shit. That’s…an end date.”

“It is. It may be longer…but they will get us out of here,” he said so softly you barely heard it.

The two of you looked at each other, and then you jumped across the small room at him and wrapped your arms around his neck. You shouted in excitement and his arms wrapped around your waist, babbling happily about how proud of his son he was and how he couldn’t wait to hug his children again.

You pulled away to grin at him, “I’m excited for you!”

“Just for me?” he repeated, confused, “What about you?”

“Dings! You’ve been here way longer than I have. You’re sons haven’t seen their dad since they were young. I know how much you’ve hated missing out on them growing up. Can’t I be excited for you?” you said, softening your voice and touching his skull gently.

“You can,” he said carefully, but then brushed a piece of hair away from your face, “and I am excited for you as well, my dear.”

“My dear?” you teased lightly.

“I…hm, it will be two years minimum, I assume, until we are freed. However…I wish to…stay this close to you when we are freed,” he said, choosing his words even more carefully, “as…I have…I love you.”

The admission wasn’t shocking or jarring. It was right. You smiled at him and nuzzled his face, “I love you too, goopy man.”

He sighed, and then in the driest voice possible, he muttered, “I take it back.”

You gasped, fake offended, “Gaster!”

He giggled, “I’m teasing you, my dear. I am pleased to hear you love me in return…even though I felt sure that you have felt the same way for a while. Over the years, I have become quite in tune with your SOUL,” he admitted, nuzzling your face again. You kissed his mouth gently.

“I can’t wait to experience the world again with you,” you muttered back, “Two more years.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Whoo! Thanks to everyone who liked/commented over on tumblr, and thanks to everyone who may give kudos or comments here as well <3


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